Real World Fairies
by Silver Hyacinth
Summary: Zelda and Ella are normal girls - well, normal girls who worship Fairy Tail. But one day when they're reading the latest Fairy Tail chapter, they are transported to Earthland. What could possibly happen next?
1. A New World

*** Just a new story idea... Enjoy guys :)

* * *

 **1**

 **Zelda D'Angelo**

* * *

"EEEEEEKKKKKKK!" I screeched, turning my computer so the screen faced Ella. "Fairy Tail chapter four-seventy-eight is out!"

"EEEEEEKKKKKKK!" Ella screeched with me, popping up the screen of her own computer to read with me. Ella and I had been friends ever since fourth grade. We were sophomores in high school now, and we shared a lot of interests, but the most prominent one was our love of Fairy Tail. The manga, the anime, the fan-fiction, the discussion sites: everything.

Ella and I had a tradition of reading the Fairy Tail chapters aloud together, taking turns. We were at my house up in my room, lying out in front of the window on my warm pink carpet. Ella and I decided that I would read first, so I cleared my throat and started on the first block of text. "In order to free this town from Alvarez's occupation... Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel have engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy."

Ella pumped her fists. "Yes!" I shushed her and read the next line. "Ice Make: Giant's Foot!"

Ella squealed, reading along silently with me. "Go, Lyon!" I rolled my eyes and shushed her again to continue. "Sky God's Boreas! Turrrn for me! What the hell... We didn't think they'd be this strong!"

I cleared my throat. "Heh. Target locked on. Now, time to blow all of you..."

Suddenly the ground shook underneath me, my computer bouncing and the screen flickering, random text flying across the screen. "What the..."

"What's going on?!" Ella shouted, as our computers bounced and bumped, the screens flickering blue and black. _Anima Alert! Anima Alert! Anima Alert!_ flashed across the screen. I recognized that word... "I don't know!" I crawled over to her as the room shook, books falling off my shelves and pillow falling from my bed. I grabbed my best friend and hugged her tightly, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Is it an earthquake?!"

I didn't answer as a blinding golden light filled the room, and Ella and I screamed as the tremors increased ten-fold, sending us bouncing into the air like rag dolls. I thought we were going to die. If it was an earthquake, it was very strong. Ella squeezed my arms tightly, and I held onto her as well, my teeth rattling around in my skull. I hoped my family was okay downstairs...

Suddenly, the light blinked out, and the tremors stopped. I felt wind blowing hard upwards, and when I opened my eyes, Ella and I were hundreds of feet in the air, falling towards the ground. Ella screamed next to me, but my mouth was open wide catching the wind. A town was far below us, coming up fast. And that town... I recognized it. _This is... impossible_ , I thought, tears shining in my eyes from the wind pressure. Ella went quiet next to me, and I twisted in the air, my hands sliding down her arms until we were holding on to each other's wrists.

"IS THAT TOWN DOWN THERE WHAT TOWN I THINK IT IS?!" Ella shouted, her voice barely audible with the howling wind.

"YES!" I shouted back. "IT'S MAGNOLIA!"

Ella shared my awed expression. "THAT MEANS..."

"YES!" I shouted. "WE'RE IN EARTHLAND!"

"BUT... H-HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

* * *

 **2**

 **Rogue Cheney**

* * *

Sting and I were about to open the door of the Fairy Tail guildhall when we heard screaming from above. Sting and I shared a confused look before we looked up to see two girls falling from the sky.

"What the hell?!" Sting yelled as we dropped the bags we held and tried to predict where they would fall.

"EEELLLLLLLAAAA!" I heard one of them yell. "WEEE'RRRRE GONNNNNA FREEEEEIKKKIIINNGGG DIEEEEEE!"

"BUUUUTTTT I'MMMM TOOOOO YOUUUNNNNGGG!"

One of the girls landed in my arms, and the other landed in Sting's. They were breathless and shaking, looking very windblown. The one I held looked up into my eyes, and hers widened, like she was surprised. She had slightly longer than shoulder-length chestnut brown hair with streaks of darker brown, and pretty, almond-shaped, ice-blue eyes. Her friend had dark evergreen eyes and light honey-blonde hair that went to just below her ears, with strands of her bangs braided.

"Uh..." Sting said, raising a blonde eyebrow. "Who are you guys?"

"Eh?" the girl I held said. She blinked. Blinked again. "Oh, I'm, uh... Zelda."

"And I'm Ella," the other girl - the one with the braided bangs - said. "And... you can put us down now."

"Oh, right." Sting and I set the girls down on their feet and I started picking up our scattered bags while Sting talked to Ella and Zelda, not doing any work. I tried not to be annoyed at my friend. "So, you just fell from the sky," he pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest. I smacked my forehead in exasperation. Zelda rubbed the back of her neck, blushing slightly. "Um, yeah..."

Ella waved her hands, flustered. "Um, we reallyneed to talk to you, Sti- Um, random person I just met!"

"Nice save," I heard Zelda murmur.

"Shut up!"

"So..." Sting said. "Are you guys... okay?"

"Oh, yeah!" Zelda laughed. "We're fine, thanks to you two."

"Zelda!" Ella murmured, tugging on the taller girl's sleeve. "We're _in front of_ _Fairy Tail!_ "

"Oh. My. _God_."

Sting laughed and ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair. "So, you guys are a fan of Fairy Tail, too?"

"YES!" Ella squealed, startling my best friend. She got right up in his face, her eyes shining and fists clenched. "Tell me," she whispered conspiratorially. "Is Natsu as awesome as they say?!"

Sting nodded vigorously, sharing the girl's shining eyes. "Yes!" Natsu is amazing!" Sting sighed happily and stared off into space, his eyes starry. "Natsu is funny, cool, strong, and totally awesome!"

I sighed loudly at my friend's fanboy state as I gathered up the last of the bags. Sting was way too attached to Natsu. The girls didn't seem to mind though, as they were starry-eyed as well, and talking animatedly with Sting about how amazing the Dragon Slayer was. I groaned under the weight of the bags, and Zelda turned to me. Her eyes widened, and she rushed over to take a few of the bags from me.

"You don't have to do that!" I said, but she smiled and shook her head. "Of course I do! It would be rude not to."

I blinked once and a slow and hesitant smile bloomed on my face. "Thank you."

"No prob. Let's go!"

* * *

 **3**

 **Ella Greene**

* * *

I turned and saw Rogue smiling at Zelda, and I raised an eyebrow at my friend, who was blushing slightly. Sting turned and went to open the door, and I followed. We had to explain everything to Fairy Tail somehow. I didn't know how they would take it, considering I didn't know where in the plot line we were exactly. Obviously not anywhere near chapter four-seventy-eight... Based on the guildhall's structure, I would guess that we're somewhere between the end of the Grand Magic Games Arc and the beginning of the Eclipse Celestial Spirits Arc.

The doors opened and I heard the brawl immediately. A chair flew over my head and I heard Zelda screech as she dodged it. Silence fell, and everyone turned to look at us.

"Yo, Sting!" My heart beat double-time in my chest at the voice of the one and only Natsu Dragneel. I still couldn't believe that Zelda and I were in Earthland, walking into the Fairy Tail guild, and standing next to Rogue Cheney and Sting Eucliffe! I was totally fangirling right now...

The pink-haired Dragon Slayer raced up with a very familiar blonde girl, and blue cat sailing along beside him. I was meeting _Natsu Dragnee_ l and _Lucy Heartfilia_! Oh my God...

"Natsu!" Sting said, clapping the Dragon Slayer on the shoulder. "Long time no see!"

"Natsu," Rogue said, nodding. "Oh, let me help!" Lucy said, helping Zelda and Rogue set the many bags down on one of the guild tables. Lucy gave Zelda and I questioning looks, but she was too polite to ask about us. Natsu, however, was not.

"Hey, who are you?" It took me a second to realize he was talking to me, and I had to hold back my blush as I answered. "Oh, um, I'm Ella. And that's," I pointed over at Zelda, who was having a conversation with Lucy, "my friend Zelda."

"Huh. Never seen you around before."

"Oh. About that... Zelda!" My friend turned and wandered over. Natsu stared at her, and she twiddled her thumbs under his gaze. "Um, what, El?"

"We need to explain," I prompted, and Zelda grimaced. "Oh, yeah."

"Explain what?" Lucy asked, walking over to join Sting, Rogue, Natsu, Zelda and I in our little circle.

Zelda and I shared a look before my friend said hesitantly, "We're... from another world."

...

"WHAT?!"


	2. A Touch Of Magic

*** Chapter two of Real World Fairies! Enjoy guys :3

* * *

 **4**

 **Natsu Dragneel**

* * *

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked beside me, frowning.

"Well," Zelda said slowly. "It's like Edolas."

"How do you know about Edolas?!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Well, uh, you see... El, help me out here!"

"Eh, yeah..." Ella said, blushing. "In our world, your lives and adventures are fictional: printed like books."

"Huh?" I said, not understanding any of this. "Well, I'm definitely not a book!"

"Um, yes," Zelda muttered. "We can see that."

Lucy frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "This doesn't make any sense. If you really are from another world, then how did you get here?"

Zelda bit her lip. "I think... it was an Anima."

"An Anima?" Lucy murmured. "Yes, I suppose that makes sense. If what you say is true, Wendy told me that Jellal told her when she was about to head to Edolas that Animas usually only open once or twice, so if you did get here through one, then..."

Ella's eyes widened. "Then we might never be able to get back home!"

The girls shared a defeated look, and to my horror, I saw tears shining in their eyes. Sure, I'd just met them, but Fairy Tail helped everyone in need, no matter what world they came from. And if all this Anima stuff was real, then Lucy said that Animas could open more than once, so there was still a chance that we could help these girls get home. And I knew just the person to talk to, although it would pain me dearly to ask for his help...

"Erza!" I called across the room, and the redhead walked over smoothly, wiping a bit of frosting from the corners of her mouth. She gave the newcomers a questioning look but only asked, "What is it, Natsu?"

"We need..." I grimaced and tried my best to force the words out. "We need Jellal's help."

Erza blushed and nodded. "Of course. Um... what for?"

I sighed as Lucy filled her in. Erza nodded again. "Of course," she said. "But you should probably fill in the rest of the guild while I am gone. Natsu?" I gulped at her harsh tone. "Um, yeah?"

"Can you handle that?"

"Yes!" I was personally offended that Erza never trusted me to do anything right. For some reason she didn't think I acted like an adult. Pft. I totally did! So what if I sometimes destroyed towns or accidentally ate Makarov out of house and home? That didn't make me childish! And Erza wasn't the only one who picked on me, either. Lucy, Levy, Gray, Loke, and even Wendyall treated me like a kid! Well, I would prove her wrong right now!

* * *

 **5**

 **Zelda D'Angelo**

* * *

I sighed and settled down on my bed, my hair wet and my new clothes soft against my skin. After Mirajane heard our story, she immediately offered us a room at Fairy Hills, free of charge for a whole week. Ella and I had beds across from each other, and a ton of girls from the guild had chipped in pieces of their wardrobe for us to wear until we made some money to buy our own clothes. I was touched, but still confused. I had deducted earlier that we were somewhere between the GMG Arc and the Eclipse Spirits Arc, but I wasn't sure if the events in this world would play out like they had in Hiro's books. Were we in the manga, or was this an actual _world_? I wasn't sure what to believe.

Ella plopped down on her bed sighing happily, and I returned her smile weakly. "Can you believe it?" she said happily, sticking her arms behind her head and grinning up at the ceiling. "We're in _Fairy Hills_ , in _Earthland_! And we met Sting, Rogue, Natsu, and the rest of Fairy Tail! I could _die_. Am I dreaming? Pinch me. Seriously, Zel: Pinch me."

I couldn't help but giggle at the stars shining brightly in my best friend's eyes. I shared her excitement, of course, but I was scared that we would never be able to get home. I mean, I would love to live in the Fairy Tail world, but I had family and school. I couldn't just drop all that to live some fantasy wizard's life, full of magic and danger and adventure. Although... it wouldn't hurt to stay here for a week or so. After all, that was probably how long it would take for them to find the Anima again, if they even could find it.

So I got up and pinched my friend lightly, making her squeal and slap me playfully. A game of tag ensued, although it was short lived because a knock sounded at the door. I broke away from my run to pad over to the door on bare feet, opening it to see Lucy and Wendy wearing cute pajamas and carrying baskets of foods like muffins, jam, and apples. I tried to hold in my googly eyes and squeals as I gestured for them to come inside, returning the kind smiles they offered me.

"So, how are you two settling in?" Lucy asked kindly. Ella curled her knees to her chest and hugged them so Lucy could set down the basket by her feet.

"Oh, we're fine," she said, smiling. "It was super nice of Mira to let us stay here for free."

Lucy nodded and sat down next to Ella, smiling. "Yep. But that's Mira for you."

"True," I said as I walked over to the window to open it and let the room air out. I had always preferred the cold, and liked natural breezes rather than artificial ones from fans. The night air was chilly and refreshing as it brushed against my skin, and I took a deep breath in through my nose, relishing in the clean air of Earthland. Unlike America, there was nothing to pollute the air here, so it felt like I was really breathing for the first time.

"So, not to pry or anything, but do you guys use magic?" Wendy asked from behind me. I turned as Ella struggled to answer. "We're not sure," I said, saving her. "In our world, magic doesn't really exist, so..."

Lucy gasped. "Wow, really?"

Ella and I nodded. "But you _could_ have magic," Wendy pointed out. "You never know! Let's try and figure it out." The blue-haired Dragon Slayer sat down on my bed and I joined her. "Porlyusica once told me that magic is often reflective of a person's wishes or personality, so tell us about yourselves."

"Well," Ella started hesitantly. "I really love the stars. I always loved looking at the constellations at night with my dad." Her eyes got that far-away look that she always got when she talked about her dad, who had died four years earlier from cancer. "And I also love music.""

"Interesting," Wendy murmured. "And what dreams do you have?"

"Well, erm..." Ella blushed. "I always dreamed of being able to have magic, so..."

Wendy smiled knowingly and turned to gaze at me. "And what about you?"

"Oh, me? I like... the cold. And I like plants, reading, and... eh... I've always wanted to fly."

Lucy and Wendy shared a look, their minds clearly already working to come up with possible magics we could have. Wendy eventually gave up and turned to Ella to ask, "So you like music?" My friend nodded enthusiastically. "What kind of music?" Lucy asked, and Ella launched into a long list of her favorite songs. But Lucy and Wendy had never heard of them before, so Ella had to go back through the list and explain what the songs were about and how they sounded. I tuned out and glanced out the window, looking out at the lit-up streets of Magnolia. Fairy lights dotted the roofs, strung up and glowing like a million fireflies.

Suddenly I thought I heard something from outside, and I got up to check while Wendy, Lucy and Ella continued to talk. The wood was cool and slick underneath my fingers as I peered out over the ledge, looking down the two stories below me to the ground. I could swear I saw something shifting in the shadows of the building, but when I leaned out further and squinted I still couldn't make it out in the dark. What is that? I thought to myself, leaning out further. I can't- I felt as though something grabbed me by the front of my shirt and yanked me through the window, and I screamed as I fell, seeing the horrified faces of Lucy and Ella appear above me before my black hair blew upwards to obscure my view.

* * *

 **6**

 **Ella Greene**

* * *

I heard a scream and Wendy, Lucy, and I all turned to look, just to see Zelda tip and fall out the window. Lucy and I raced over and watched with horror as Zelda fell towards the ground, screeching in fear and panic. But just before she hit, a huge and sudden burst of wind spiraled up under her and she floated in the middle of the air, gasping. We were all silent as Zelda looked down at the spiraling tornado she sat in the middle of, looking dazed.

"W-w-what is this?" I heard her ask, looking up at us. Lucy and I both shrugged. "Try making it go up!" Lucy suggested, gesturing upward to prove her point. Zelda nodded numbly and squeezed her eyes shut, throwing her arms upward. The wind surged, and Zelda screeched as she was flattened, the tornado flying past the window and up into the air. I peered out and up to watch it stop by the roof, Zelda's panting breaths audible from down here.

"It worked a little too well!" she shouted down to us, peering over the edge of the whirlwind. "Try again!" Lucy encouraged, and Zelda sighed before she slowly lowered her arms. The tornado drifted down and down until Zelda held her palm out frantically, stopping right in front of the window. "Now help me off this thing," she pleaded, holding out an arm to us. Wendy came forward and with the tree of us pulling, we managed to get Zelda back inside the room safely. When her feet were back on solid ground, the swirling winds disappeared with a whoosh.

"Ok _aaaaaa_ y," Zelda said slowly, brushing herself off and smoothing her hair with a shaking hand. "That was... _interesting_."

Wendy and Lucy shared a look, having a silent conversation, and the blonde shrugged. Wendy sighed. "Well, it's safe to assume that you have magic, and that it just activated. But as for what kind it is, I'm uncertain."

"Well," Lucy interjected. "It has to be Maker Magic of some kind if she can make it out of thin air." Wendy nodded in agreement and put a finger to her lips, ignoring Zelda's raised eyebrow. "Yes, but I've never heard of Wind Maker Magic before."

"Neither have I," Lucy agreed. "But maybe this is a new type of magic. After all, they _are_ from another world. Anything is a possibility."

The Dragon-Slayer and the Celestial Spirit Wizard continued talking, leaving Zelda and I to our own devices. I wandered over to the bathroom and Zelda quietly followed, and we locked the door behind us, breathing quiet sighs of relief. "This is crazy," Zelda whispered, sliding down the wall to sit cross-legged on the tiled floor. I joined her, nodding in agreement. Everything today really was crazy. Zelda had magic, we were in the Fairy Tail world, staying at Fairy Hills, for God's sake! I didn't know if anything could surprise me anymore.

"You have magic," I whispered to prove my point. Zelda sighed and chuckled. "Yeah, but I bet you do too, if I have it."

I shrugged. "Maybe. But you came across yours when put in a life-threatening situation, and I'd rather not get in to one of those."

Zelda and I laughed together and I smiled, happy that I wasn't alone here. I had always wanted to meet Fairy Tail, but I'd never thought it would actually happen. But there we were, in the same room as Lucy Heartfilia and Wendy Marvell. I was still star-struck, and I got the feeling that Zelda was just as stunned as me. But at least we had each other: the only normal thing in this crazy world of magic and adventure. Magic and adventure... two words I thought would never apply to my life. Sure I was in a strange place, away from home, but this was the place I had always wanted to be. I didn't want to stay forever, but I didn't want to leave immediately, either. And I could tell Zelda felt the same. And now that there was a possibility that I might have magic, I was even more reluctant to leave.

"Hey," Zelda said suddenly. "Why don't you try thinking of magic, just in general? Maybe something will happen."

I shrugged. "Okay." I closed my eyes and thought hard about magic, but nothing happened. After a minute or so I opened my eyes, spreading my hands uselessly. "Nada."

Zelda sighed and rested her head back against the tile. "Oh well. I'm sure your magic will show up eventually."

"I hope so," I whispered, letting my cheek rest against my knee.


	3. Unexpected

*** I'm finally back with more of Real World Fairies! Sorry I haven't posted a chapter recently: I've been super busy, and kind of obsessed w/ writing chapters for my SYOC, Phoenix Heart. Also, I should really post a chapter for Something Sylver, Something Gold, because I really need to get the last few chapters out for that, so I at least have one story that's been ended. Anyways, enjoy the third chapter of RWF :D

* * *

 **7**

 **Natsu Dragneel**

* * *

I walked into the guild at six in the morning to find only four people there so early: Mira, Laxus, and those two new girls, Zelda and Ella. Mira is serving them breakfast, while Laxus gazes at them curiously from his table in the corner. Zelda yawns and Ella pats her on the shoulder, offering a smile. I wandered over and ordered some breakfast from Mira, sitting down next to Zelda. The girls looked over at me curiously.

"Hi," I said as Mira set a plate laden with bread, cheese, and meat in front of me. They jumped, as if startled by my voice. "Oh, hi," Zelda said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you. Well, in person, at least."

"In person?" I asked, taking a huge bite of eggs. "Vat ew you mean?"

"Well, as we said before, you're... fictional in our world. We've read stories about you," Ella said. I swallowed and raised an eyebrow. "Huh. What kind of stories?"

"Well, about how you met Lucy, how Erza joined the guild, and stuff like that."

"Really? Huh. I guess that's cool. I'm famous!"

Zelda and Ella shared a look and a laugh. "Yeah, I guess that's kinda true," Zelda admitted, and I pumped a fist in the air. "Sweet! Am I awesome? How does this writer guy portray me?"

"Well, he-"

Just then, Gray stormed into the guild, interrupting Zelda. Juvia followed close behind, being her usual stalker-ish self. He plunked himself down at the bar next to Ella and ordered a drink and some food, sighing as Juvia sat down on the stool right next to him, shooting a dark, suspicious look Zelda and Ella's way. I rolled my eyes and continued eating. Slowly, people began leaking into the guild, starting with Wendy, Carla, Gajeel, Lily, and Freed.

Everyone gave Ella and Zelda looks ranging from suspicion to curiosity, while I finished my breakfast. The last two to arrive at the guild were Lucy and Levy, and Levy walked over to sit with Gajeel, while Lucy approached Ella and Zelda, smiling. "So, Zelda, have you been practicing?" she asked, sitting at Gray's now empty bar stool. "Um, yeah," Zelda said, shooting a cautious look over at me. "Let me see," Lucy prompted, offering an encouraging nod.

Zelda held up her palm, and a small whirlwind formed there, spinning around in a tiny twister before disappearing in a puff of air. "Whaa...?" I asked, dropping my fork, my eyes wide. "You.. you have magic!?"

"Um, yeah...? I kinda discovered it on accident last night," Zelda said, blushing and looking down at her feet. "What kind is it?" I asked Lucy, who obviously already knew. She shrugged. "Dunno. Wendy and I think it's some kind of Maker Magic, but other than that, we have no idea." I frowned. "Huh. Well, maybe it's a new kind of Magic? Weren't you guys saying something about that earlier?"

Lucy shrugged. "Probably. But if it is, she'll essentially be creating it all on her own, including naming it."

Zelda sweat-dropped at that. "Uh, I dunno if I'm the most capable to be designing the structure of a Magic."

Lucy patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll help you."

I tuned out as the girls kept talking, finishing my food and walking off to fight with Gray.

* * *

 **8**

 **Rogue Cheney**

* * *

"Sting, back away from the flowers."

"But they smell reeeeally good," my friend whined, pouting. We were on our way to the Fairy Tail guild. You see, we had arrived yesterday - right in time to catch Zelda and Ella - because we were staying for the whole month of January, along with February. After the Grand Magic Games, Sting had become the Master of the guild, and he decided that we would go to Fairy Tail every couple of months to stay for two months and train with them. Considering they had won the Games, Sting figured we could learn something from them.

I pulled my friend away from the roses he was smelling and started dragging him by the collar towards Fairy Tail. It was early in the morning; around six-thirty. There probably weren't many people at the guild, but I had asked Mira if I could use the kitchen to make breakfast, considering we were staying in an inn, and she had agreed, so Sting and I were up bright and early to head over.

"Rogue, look at those!" Sting said, heading towards a shop selling Lacrimas. "Don't even think about it," I said, steering him away. Honestly. My friend had the attention-span of a kitten. "Rogue, Rogue, look at all those different candies!"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"But Rooggguuuue-"

"No."

"Oh, fiiiiiine."

Sting allowed me to drag him away, and we finally made it to the guild. I pushed Sting in ahead of me before he could get distracted by something else. I was surprised to see that almost everyone was here, including those two girls from yesterday. I was content with shooting a few curious glances at them, but Stingwas not. He barged right up and sat down next to them, and I sighed, wandering over to hear him ask, "So, where are you two from?"

"Uh..." Ella said, scratching an eyebrow. "I forgot you didn't know yet."

"Know what?" I asked, butting into the conversation. The girls jumped, and Zelda held a hand to her heart. "Jesus, Rogue," she said. "You're like a ninja."

I raised an eyebrow. "How do you know my name?"

"Uh, you said it yesterday?" she tried weakly. I shook my head. "No. Natsu greeted Sting, so you would know his name if you were perceptive enough, but nobody ever mentioned mine."

"Oh, for God's sake," Zelda said, throwing up her hands in surrender. "I wanted to avoid another long explanation. We're from another world, and your life is set out in a series of fictional books there. That's how I know your name! Satisfied?"

I blinked as she crossed her arms and huffed, annoyed. "Uh, yeah..." I said slowly, my tone disbelieving. "Thanks for clearing that up."

"It's true, Rogue," Lucy said, sipping on a smoothie and seeming to read my mind. I sighed. If Lucy thought it was true, I was swayed. Lucy was smart. And I was sure she had some kind of theory about what was going on. But if it was true that they were from another world, I had a few questions.

Sitting down next to Zelda, I met the girl's eyes. "So," I said. "What's the name of your world?"

"Um, Earth?" I nodded. "Where are you from on this 'Earth'?"

"America," Ella piped in. "More specifically, Colorado."

I frowned. "Call-o-rad-o?"

"Um, yeah," Zelda said nervously. "I don't know if you're ready for us to explain the whole Earth layout."

I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. "Try me."

"Okay, well... There are seven continents: Asia, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. There are fifty states in North America, which is where we live. Washington, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nev-"

"Um, Zel," Ella butted in. "You're not seriously going to recite all fifty states, are you?"

"I was going to," she said. "Should I not?"

Ella sighed. "Just... continue."

I leaned forward, listening and trying to follow what this strange, pretty girl from another world was trying to explain to me. _Wait... did I just call her pretty?_

* * *

 **9**

 **Zelda D'Angelo**

* * *

I finished reciting the fifty states, taking a deep breath. Rogue was resting his chin in the palm of his hand, staring straight at me, looking distracted. "Um..." I said, tapping him on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Rogue jumped, shaking his head, and I saw a blush rise to his cheeks. Frowning, he nodded. "I'm fine. Just... confused."

I sighed. "Yeah, the fifty states can be confusing. And I can only imagine, considering that you're new to all of this."

Rogue nodded and held a hand to the back of his neck, and I definitely saw him blushing now. _Strange_ , I thought, feeling my own cheeks flush. _Okay,_ no _. No blushing, no nothing_ , I scolded myself. "Uh, yeah," Rogue said. "But at least I know you're telling the truth about this whole 'other world' thing."

"How so?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, no way could you make up all those names off the top of your head."

I laughed. "Good point."

This was so weird. Hanging out with _Rogue Cheney_ , and talking so naturally like this. And we _were_ talking naturally. It was like I'd known him forever, not for a day. But, in a sense, I hadknown him forever: I'd read about him and bonded with him by reading Fairy Tail. But it was still weird, talking to the real Rogue. But... also _kinda_ nice.

"Zelda? Zelda?"

"Huh?" I looked up to find Rogue shaking my shoulder. "You spaced out for a minute."

"Oh, did I?" I laughed nervously, trying to hide my blush. "Sorry. Just daydreaming."

"About what?"

"Oh, uh..." I struggled to think of something quick. "The Grand Magic Games!"

"What about them?"

 _Damn, why does he have so many questions?!_ I thought, biting my lip. "Just who will win this year."

"Oh," Rogue said, nodding. "Well, it isn't for another six months."

I sighed, relieved that he bought it. "Yeah, but you might as well start thinking about them now, right?"

"Right," Rogue said, and I let out a silent sight.

 _Man, Fairy Tail is_ not _what I expected._

* * *

Sorry if this was a bit short, but I'm low on inspiration at the moment. Next chapter will be longer, and it should be up soon.


	4. They're Watching

**A/N:** Hey guys. I'm back with chapter four of RWF, and I'm sorry I haven't posted one in a while. Those of you who read me often know that I've been busy working on my SYOC, which I'm close to finishing, and I've also started a few new stories, such as _Betrayed_ , and _Red Exorcist_. Anyways, I'm planning on writing chapters for this story more, so you can look forward to updates more frequently.

* * *

 **10**

 **Ella Greene**

* * *

As Zel and Rogue chatted, I turned my attention to the guild, watching all the characters I'd read about and loved for years actually interact before my very eyes. It was an interesting experience, to say the least. Gray and Natsu were brawling in the corner, and Levy, Lucy, and even Juvia - who had taken a break from stalking Gray - were reading peacefully at a table, giggling and chatting about their books together. Wendy was playing a game of chess with Romeo, and Laxus was listening to music at a corner table while Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen played a game of poker beside him.

"Hey," someone said right in my ear, making me jump. I turned my head, annoyed, to see Sting Eucliffe staring at me, his nose inches away from mine. I jerked backwards and had to grab the bar to keep myself from falling over, clutching a hand to my heart in surprise.

"God," I huffed, taking deep breaths. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," he said with a smirk, sitting down next to me. "Whatcha doin', blondie?"

"Nothing," I murmured, fiddling with one of the braids in my bangs - a little thing I had my older sister do for me every morning. Sting reached forward and touched a finger to one of the braids gently, making me inhale sharply. He brought up his other hand and rubbed it between two of his fingers, mystified. "I've never seen someone with their hair like this," he said, staring at it as if it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. "It's really pretty."

I blushed crimson and, seeming to realize what he was doing and saying, Sting flushed and pulled his hands away, folding them in his lap. "So," he said, clearing his throat and breaking the awkward silence. "Have you explored Magnolia yet?"

I shook my head, perking up. Sting smirked at my excitement. "Well, maybe I can show you around."

I nodded vigorously, already getting up. "Let's go!"

"Right now?" Sting asked, amused. I shook my head up and down again. "Yes, right now! Come on!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he said, laughing as he got up and chased after me as I ran towards the door. I was so excited I forgot to tell Zelda where I was going as I raced out into the beautiful spring day. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and they drifted on the breeze, filling the town with their intoxicating smell. I looked around, gazing in wonder at all the cherry-blossom trees, and the mobs of people walking the streets, talking and laughing.

I walked past a pond where a water Mage was creating bubbles off the surface of the water to entertain a group of children swimming there. Magic was _everywhere_. I noticed a girl around my age summon a small bird from a silver key to fetch a child's runaway balloon, which she returned to him with a kind smile. A man in his early forties was making tiny wooden charms from thin air, and another man was lifting a crate of vegetables with his mind, directign it towards a bustling restaurant.

As I was about to walk into a weapons shop, a hand closed around my color and literally lifted me off my feet. I turned to see Sting giving me an annoyed look. "Stay with me, Ella. You're going to get lost if you keep wandering off."

"Sorry," I said, giddy, as he set me down. I clasped my hands together and did a full turn, rocking back and forth on my heels, looking at all the amazing shops around. My mouth watered when I saw a shop selling about a hundred different types of candies, and I immediately made a bee-line for it, Sting on my heels. Maybe being trapped in this world wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

 **11**

 **Sting Eucliffe**

* * *

As Ella drooled over all the different candies, chatting animatedly with the old woman selling them, I walked a little ways away and leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms and glancing around, bored.

"Hey," I heard, my ears perking up. I turned my head to where the sound was coming from - which turned out to be a group of guys - my Dragon-Slayer hearing picking up every word. "Look at that blonde girl over there. She's pretty cute."

"I know, right. And she's alone, too. Maybe we should go _introduce ourselves_."

"Look, Sting!" Ella said, walking over holding a small cup with a few candies in it. "She gave me a few free ones to try!"

"Sure, sure," I said, tuning back into the guys' conversation. "That's great."

"Come on," one said. "Let's go over before she leaves!"

I narrowed my eyes and turned to Ella, who had her mouth open, a candy halfway to her lips. I leaned closer and slammed my fist into the wall beside her head, halfway concealing her body with mine and shooting a smirk back at the group of guys, who stiffened and quickly walked away. _Pricks_ , I thought to myself, glaring after them. _She's lucky I was here._

"U-um, S-S-Sting?" Ella stuttered, and I turned my head and realized our lips were inches apart. Ella's cheeks were flaming as I relaxed and slouched back against the wall, swiping the candy in her hand and popping it in my mouth. "W-what was t-t-that about?" she asked, her cheeks still red as she picked out a new candy.

"Don't worry about it," I said, reaching for another. Finally recovering, Ella smiled and picked one out for me, reaching out. Our fingers brushed as she handed it to me, and I felt a shiver travel all the way up my arm, like an electric shock. Ella reached for the last candy, and was just picking it up when a butterfly fluttered past and landed on it. "Ah!" Ella said, leaning closer and looking at the butterfly admiringly. "Look, Sting! It's so beautiful!"

I shrugged, looking at the butterfly's iridescent purple wings. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Oh, come on," she said, watching as the butterfly flapped its wings and flew away. "You need to learn to admire the little things."

"Like butterflies?" I asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow. She smacked my arm at my teasing smile and stuck the candy in her mouth, swallowing with finality and tossing the container in a nearby trash bin. Turning, she started walking towards the park, her blonde hair lit up gold in the sun, her hips swaying back and forth. I shook my head and followed her, shooting glares at all the guys who eyed her up. Geez, if I wasn't here, she'd be kidnapped by now.

Ella walked past a row of trees, kneeling to sniff a flower before making her way towards the bridge.

"Look, Sting!" Ella exclaimed, running over to the bridge's railing and leaning over the edge dangerously. She stood on her tiptoes and reached out to grab a falling cherry-blossom. Her fingers closed around it and she tipped forward, her eyes widening. I barely managed to catch her, wrapping my arms around her waist and tugging her back.

"Be careful, idiot! Don't be so reckless."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "But look!" Ella held up the small pink blossom. "Isn't it pretty?"

"Idiot," I said, smiling slightly and taking the blossom from her. I tucked it behind her ear, and she leaned her cheek against my hand, smiling happily. I rolled my eyes and gave her a push towards the street. "C'mon. We should probably get back."

"But we haven't even seen half the city yet!" she complained, turning and giving me a pout. "I want to go try some food!"

"Well tough luck," I said, walking past her and leaning forward briefly so our noses almost touched. "You don't have any Jewels, and I'm definitely not paying."

Ella stuck her tongue out at me and raced to catch up, falling into step beside me. "Fine," she said, smiling. "We'll have it your way. Only, you owe me now, Sting Eucliffe. Remember that."

* * *

 **12**

 **Rogue Cheney**

* * *

I noticed Ella and Sting walk out while I was talking to Zelda, and wondered briefly why Sting was being so friendly. I mean, he was a nice guy, but not _that_ nice. I turned my attention back to Zelda, who was chatting with Mira now, twisting a strand of her long brown hair between her fingers. I felt my heart skip a beat as I silently watched her, her blue eyes catching the sunlight filtering through a nearby window, making them look like liquid silver.

"I wonder what we should do now," Zelda said, resting her chin in the palm of her hand and sighing.

"What do you mean," I interjected, causing her to glance over at me.

"I mean, what do we _do_? I don't know much about magic, so I can't really help search for a way to get Ella and myself back home, and I feel so _alien_ here, like I don't belong. I feel... purposeless."

"Don't worry," Mira said, handing her a glass of water. "I'm sure you'll find _something_ to do." I noticed that she glanced between us before giving me a wink that Zelda didn't catch and turning. I stiffened and felt my face redden, and I glanced at Zelda as she took a drink of water.

Setting down the glass, she sighed and glanced out the window. "Maybe I should go exploring tomorrow. I haven't taken a tour of Magnolia yet."

"You shouldn't go alone," Mira piped up, drying the inside of a shot glass. "I know!" she said, glancing at me with a devilish smile. " _Rogue_ , why don't _you_ take her?"

I stiffened again as Zelda turned to look at me, raising an eyebrow. "Sure," I said quickly. "I would be happy to."

Zelda smiled. "Really? Thank you, Rogue!" She downed the rest of her water in one gulp and stood. "I think I'm going to go back to Fairy Hills and rest a while. Lucy dropped off some job request last night for Ella and I to look over, so I better get started."

"Okay then," Mira said, waving. "Bye!"

I waved along with Mira as Zelda said, "Bye!" She waved back and hummed to herself under her breath as she walked out of the guild. I turned back to Mira and gave her a questioning look. "Okay, what was that all about?"

"Nothing," Mira said with a wink. "I'm just having a little fun, Rogue. And besides, you like her, don't you?"

"Wh-what?" I spluttered, red in the face. "N-no! What gave you that idea?!"

Mira just smiled and continued drying glasses, and I groaned and stood. I need to take a nice long nap. Perhaps take a nice hot shower. Yes. That would make me feel loads better. I walked out of the guild and towards the inn Rogue and I were staying at, glancing around for Sting as I went. He was in town somewhere with Ella, that much I knew.

I didn't run into them, and ended up having to give a bath to Fro and Lector, who had both gotten in a food fight while I was gone, and their fur was smeared with ice-cream and chocolate sauce, and Fro had a cherry stuck to the top of his hood. Sting would so owe me when he got back. Not only did I give his cat a bath, but I also cleaned up the hotel room, and straightened his clothes, because Sting had them strewn all over the room. I even found one of his shirts in the fridge.

I crashed onto my bed, exhausted, after drawing the curtains to block the sunlight. Fro and Lector were asleep in Sting's bed, the room was tidy, and I had nothing to worry about. I pulled off all my robes and was left in only my black sweatpants and gray sweater. I closed my eyes and was asleep within twenty minutes, drifting off into a pleasant dream about a brunette girl and a cool summer day.

* * *

 **13**

 **?**

* * *

I lurked in the shadows of the cherry-blossom trees, trailing her all the way home. We'd gotten word of the girls last night, and I had pulled one out the window to check if she really was one of the girls we needed. She was, of course. My hunches were never wrong. But the only problem was getting them away from the Fairies and those two stubborn Dragon Slayers from Sabertooth.

Zelda hummed to herself as she walked along the edge of the canal, holding her arms out for balance. It would've been so _easy_ to push her in; for her to be lost in the sweeping currents. But no, of course I couldn't do that. We needed to study them; dissect them; pull them apart and put them back together again; to find out how they _worked_. I'd have to be patient. Although, that would be difficult if they gave me so many opportunities such as that one.

Zelda hopped back onto the main road and finally reached Fairy Hills, unlocking the door with a key that Mira person gave her before heading inside. I lost sight of her until she entered her room, where the window was still open, the curtains pulled apart. I watched as she sat cross-legged on her bed, holding up a palm. A whirlwind swirled above it and she smiled, closing her fist and causing it to dissipate.

 _How does she do it?_ I thought hungrily, licking my lips. _I can hardly wait. Such a golden opportunity to take her; snatch her up right now while she's away from that bothersome dark Dragon Slayer. But no, that's foolish. I need them both. I must wait. Just for a bit longer..._

Zelda grabbed a stack of papers from the side-table and spreads them out on the bed, lying on her stomach and sorting through them intently. They were job requests, that much I knew. Zelda sorted them into two piles, one presumably of jobs she wanted, and the other of jobs she didn't. So boring, sitting and waiting. So, so boring, when I had such an interesting specimen right in front of me, ripe for the picking.

This was far too tempting. But they knew what they were doing, sending me. Some of the others might not have been able to control themselves, but I could. Oh, I could, and I would get to have the first look as a reward for being patient. Yes, I could taste it now; the power the knowledge would give me. It was a bit funny, in all honesty.

After all, two girls from a different, mundane world, which held no magic? It was almost unthinkable to believe that they could hold the key to unlimited power; to extreme magical evolution. But they could. I had been a witness to it. Although, I wouldn't know how their bodies worked until I got them back to the lab.

But I could imagine it now. _Zelda and Ella, you will be my biggest and most valuable find yet_ , I thought, smiling to myself. When the world learns of what I've found, I'll become famous. Too bad you girls won't be here to see that.

I slipped through the shadows as if they were a doorway and stepped out on a rocky plane, next to a stately-looking castle made from black marble. Brushing off my robes, I walked in through a side door and down the long flight of steps into the cool basement and my laboratory. I slipped a Lacrima from my robes and set it on the table, tapping it once to scroll through the pictures I had snapped of the two mundane girls.

"Not long now," I murmured, staring down at a picture of the two, smiling together. "Soon you will be mine."

* * *

 **A/N:** Ooh, cliff-hanger. Sorry guys ;) You'll just have to wait for the next update to find out what happens.


	5. A Strange Presence

**A/N:** Hey, guys! I'm back with another chapter for RWF. Remember to follow and favorite for more chapters, and feel free to leave comments, suggestions, and corrections down in the review section!

* * *

 **14**

 **Zelda D'Angelo**

* * *

I woke up in the morning to find Ella passed out in the middle of the floor, a blanket thrown over her and a pillow behind her head. I yawned and sat up, stretching. The window was open to let in the breeze, and I shivered as I stepped out of bed, the wind sending shivers up my spine.

I knelt next to Ella with a smile, poking her on the shoulder. "Ella? Ellllaaa?" My friend opened one eye. "What?"

"Why are you sleeping on the floor?" I asked, laughing. Ella opened her other eye and blinked once. Twice. Three times. Her face turned beet red and she clapped her hands to her cheek. "Oh, my God," she murmured to herself, staring at the floor. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, ohmyGodohmyGodohmyGod!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Uh, what?"

Ella looked up at me, her eyes shining. "I have so much to tell you!"

"Okay," I said, amused. I helped her stand up and we sat down on my bed, Ella grabbing a pillow and hugging it to her chest. "Tell me everything."

"Okay, so, yesterday Sting took me on a tour of Magnolia." Ella started telling the story, and I listened intently.

"So, we walked back to the guild," she said, fiddling with one of her braids. "I ended up playing a poker game with Gray, Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus, and Sting, and I was so immersed in it that by the time we were done, it was almost midnight. I was just getting a glass of water from the bar, and I brought it back to a table, but when I set it down, I closed my eyes for a second, and I must've fallen asleep.

"I woke up a while later, and someone was carrying me up the stairs to our room. It was, em, Sting." She blushed, and I smiled as she continued. "Anyway, I fell asleep again, and when i woke up, I was on the floor. I must've fallen off my bed, because Sting was muttering about how clumsy I was, and then he covered me with a blanket and put a pillow under my head. Then I fell asleep again, obviously..."

"Wow," I said, trying to hold back an amused smirk. "That's some story."

Ella nodded, squeezing the pillow tighter. "Well, what I can tell is that you really like Sting. Right?"

"Maybe," Ella murmured into the pillow, staring at the ground.

"Then you have to _tell_ _him_ that, El."

She frowned, twiddling her thumbs. "I- I can't. I'm way too shy. And nervous. And scared. _Ugh_."

"You can do it," I encouraged, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly. "I'll be right there with you. Only, not today."

"Why not?"

"Well, I _kind of_ have to go sightseeing with Rogue today."

Ella squealed. "Oh, my God! This is just like what happened with me and Sting! What if you, you know, _fall_ for him?"

I shook my head, but I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. "No way. Nope. Not gonna happen."

"Sure," Ella said, smiling as she went over to her own bed. "We'll see."

I shook my head again, pulling out the requests I had picked out last night. "I have a few jobs we can take," I told Ella, handing her the stack on my way to the wardrobe. "I marked the ones I like with a star. You can go through and mark yours with a dash, and we can find one we both want to do. I'm going to take a shower."

"'Kay," Ella said, sitting cross-legged on her bed and picking through the job requests as I went into the bathroom to get ready. I took a long, hot shower and dressed in one of the outfits Lucy had lent me, brushing my hair and teeth before walking back out into the room. Ella was picking out an outfit from her wardrobe, a towel over one arm. I sat on her bed and picked up the stack of jobs as Ella went into the bathroom.

She had marked five out of the eight with dashes, and three of them were ones I had marked as well. I picked up one in particular and read it over. _Interesting_ , I thought, folding it and sticking it in my pocket as I walked out the door. _I'll have to sign us up for this one._

* * *

 **15**

 **Rogue Cheney**

* * *

I watched Zelda walk into the guild, wearing a tight pink tank-top and jean shorts that one of the girls must've lent her. She walked over to Mira at the bar and took out a paper from her pocket, unfolding it. She leaned her arms on her bar and passed the request to Mira. The two started talking, and Mira looked concerned, but Zelda smiled and reassured her, and Mira scribbled her name in a small book.

Zelda smiled, probably thanking her, and leaned back, stretching her arms above her head. She turned and started walking towards me, and I looked away quickly, pretending to be looking out the window as she sat down across from me. "Should we go?" she asked, and I glanced over, as if just noticing her.

"Sure," I said, standing. "Where should we go first?"

"Anywhere!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet, her eyes shining with excitement. I turned my back to her to hide a smile and walked to the door, Zelda on my heels. We walked out into the cool Magnolia day, dew shining on the trees and grass from last night's late rain. Zelda _ooh_ ed and _ah_ ed at all the Mages out on the streets, entertaining the people or just having fun, and I had to remind myself that she was from another world, and that all that magic was new to her.

Zelda turned and tugged on my sleeve like an excited child, pointing at a silversmith shop selling pendants. She ran over and leaned down, looking at all the intricate little charms and swirls of silver, and she has a long talk with the woman behind the counter, smiling and laughing like they were old friends. It amazed me, how much she looked like she belonged there. And how she could make friends so easily, no matter where she went. Fairy Tail already seemed to trust her and Ella, and treated them as they would with any of their other members

Zelda smiled and turned away, walking back to me. We walked around town for a while, Zelda amazed by all the shops selling magic items. When we stopped by the park, she played tag with a group of children, smiling and laughing like she was one of them. When they were done, the children all hugged her legs and she waved and smiled at them as we walked away.

"Should we get lunch?" I asked, glancing at the sky. "It's nearly noon."

"Really?" Zelda asked, surprised. "Man, time really flies here."

I chuckled. "Let's go get some food from that restaurant over there," I said, pointing at a small, happy-looking building painted in pastels. Zelda nodded and started to smile, but then she frowned. "Er, I don't have any money..."

"That's okay," I said, walking forward. "I can pay."

"Oh, no," she protested, keeping pace with me. "I can't impose on you like that!"

"Don't worry," I said, holding open the door for her. "You'll just owe me, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay, it's a deal."

We took a table in the corner and searched through the menu, chatting idly. I found myself relaxing, like I was at home here, with this girl from another world. When we had eaten and payed, Zelda and I walked out onto the street again and continued touring the town. Unfortunately, it began to rain, and Zelda squealed as it started to full-on pour. I held my robe above our heads for cover as we ran under the nearest overhang.

Zelda peered out at the rain, watching the lights of the town blurred by the fast drops. "Well, so much for sight-seeing," she said, settling back against the wall. "This doesn't look like it'll let up anytime soon."

I sighed and leaned on the wall next to her, wringing water from my cloak. Zelda shivered as a freezing wind blew through Magnolia, the gentle breeze from earlier replaced by a cold, howling beast. "here," I said, wrapping my cloak around her shoulder. She smiled gratefully, and snuggled into it. It was huge on her, and could easily fit three or four more people. "But," she said suddenly, gazing up at me. "Won't you be cold?"

I shook my head. "No, I'll be-" I was cut off as she held open one arm, glancing at me.

"Get in."

I stared at her for a moment, and she glanced from me to the cloak. I struggled to fight the blush that wanted to rise on my cheeks as I ducked into the cloak, grabbing the edge and pulling it tight around us. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all...

* * *

 **16**

 **Natsu Dragneel**

* * *

I had been smelling something weird all day. I wasn't sure what is was, but it seemed to trail those two girls, Ella and Zelda. It wasn't them, though; Ella smelled like mint and honeysuckle, and Zelda smelled like citrus and vanilla extract. But if it wasn't them, then who was it? Natsu couldn't trace it to an exact location, and it was driving him insane.

"What's with you today, Salamander?" Gajeel asked, sitting down across from me.

"You don't smell it?" I asked, glancing around suspiciously. Gajeel grunted. "'Course I smell it. But I can't pinpoint it."

"Yeah, me neither," I said. "Maybe Sting and Rogue can help?"

Gajeel and I walked over to where Sting sat at a table with Ella, Yukino, and Wendy. Ella was doing Wendy's hair, putting it into a waterfall braid. "Sting, we need ya for a second," Gajeel grunted, jerking his thumb towards our table. Sting glanced at Ella once before getting up and following us.

"What is it?"

"You smell it, right?" I asked, and Sting glanced around, nodding. "Yeah, I do."

"We were hoping you might be able to help us pinpoint it. Where's Rogue?"

"He's out," Sting said, glancing out the window at the pouring rain. "And judging by the weather, he's probably holed up somewhere, waiting out the storm."

"Well, just us three will have to work on sniffing it out, then."

"Okay," Sting agreed. "Let's split up. I'll take the upstairs, you take the main floor, Natsu, and Gajeel can take the basement."

"Right," we agreed, splitting up and walking to our separate locations. I started sniffing the air. The smell was definitely close; like dead leaves and dusty book pages. I wrinkled my nose, sniffing deeply. The smell seemed to be coming from the right side of the guild, where Ella, Yukino, and Wendy sat at their table, along with Gray, Juvia, Levy, and Lucy at another, and the Thunder Legion at a third.

I was in the zone, blocking out everything else but the scent. I followed it past the Thunder Legion and Gray's group and towards the corner of the guild by Ella's table. It was shielded by shadows, which appeared darker in the rain. I sniffed. It was definitely there. The smell was right in front of me, so close we were almost nose to nose. I reached out a hand, and the shadows felt palpable for a split second before the air seemed to distort, and the smell was gone.

I met up with Gajeel and Sting in the middle of the guild. "You guys find anything?"

They shook their heads. "Well, I did. It was hanging out in the corner by Ella, Wendy, and Yukino. As I was reaching out it just... disappeared."

Sting frowned. "Why would it be over there?"

I shrugged. "Dunno. But I'd say we stick close to those three just in case. Sting, you take Ella, I'll take Wendy, and Gajeel can cover Yukino."

Those two nodded and all three of us wandered over to the table and sat down. Ella didn't look up from doing Wendy's hair, but Yukino greeted us with a small smile. I kept on guard, glancing around the guild as if the scent would magically pop back up somewhere else. I felt a feeling of unease deep in my gut. Something was going to happen very soon; something bad. And I couldn't shake the feeling that those two girls would have some part in it.

I'd have to tell Sting, Rogue, and Gajeel about this later. And Jellal, whenever Erza tracked him down and brought him back here. Something was going to happen, I was sure. And we'd have to be on guard until it did.

* * *

 **17**

 **Jellal Fernandes**

* * *

I was studying time magic scrolls in Stella when Erza found me. She told me about two mysterious girls who had appeared out of nowhere a few days earlier, saying they were from another world. I was immediately troubled by that fact, considering the only way to travel between worlds was through an Anima, and Anima traveling was unpredictable and unreliable at best.

I agreed to follow her back to Magnolia to investigate, but only on the condition that she not tell anyone I was there save for a few select people. She agreed, and her, Meredy, and I left on a train for Magnolia, set to arrive in two days. The whole idea of other worlds like Edolas is troubling, to say the least. How would the girls' bodies adapt to a foreign environment such as Earthland's Ethernanos-filled air. Their bodies wouldn't be able to handle it.

I rested my forehead against the window, rain streaming down the windows. The sky was dark and angry, roaring with thunder and lightning, and the train was dark, lit once in a while by a bright white flash of lightning. I closed my eyes, hoping to get some sleep before we arrived in Bosco to switch trains.

* * *

"Jellal, wake up," Erza said, shaking me gently. "It's time to switch trains again."

I opened my eyes and straightened, cracking my neck from side to side. It had been a day and a half since we boarded the train in Bosco on our way to Seven. It had stopped raining, and we hurried off the train and onto the next, holding our jackets over our heads. The train left Seven's station and chugged towards Magnolia. The train would arrive in a few hours, and even outside of Fiore, I could feel a strange presence.

It was dark and I felt shivers crawl up my skin as the train crossed the Fiore border. The presence grew until it was so strong, it was like a thousand tons of water pressing down on top of me. It was stifling, and I got the feeling that something bad was going to happen very soon. I had to make sure that Fairy Tail's master knew about this. This presence definitely wasn't a good thing.

As the train chugged towards Magnolia, the feeling grew stronger and stronger. As soon as we got into Magnolia, I'd have to pinpoint it. I was starting to shake, and I had to struggle to keep myself still. What was that presence, and why was it lurking in Magnolia?

The train finally pulled into the station, and I hurried off the train and towards Fairy Tail, where the presence was undoubtedly the strongest. I entered the guild, not caring if everyone saw me anymore. I stormed through the doors and towards a table at the back, where two girls I'd never seen before sat with Lucy, Sting, Rogue, and Levy. The presence was right behind one of the girls, who had brown hair with darker streaks that made it look almost black. It was so close it was practically pressed up against her back.

"Get away from her!" I yelled, storming up to the table. The presence shrank back, startled, and the air seemed to distort before the presence became faint; it wasn't in the room anymore.

"Uh, Jellal?" Erza asked. "What was that about?"

"There was something here, and it was after them," I said, pointing at the two girls.


	6. Taken

**A/N:** Chapter six of RWF is here, and I'm super excited to finally be reaching the climax! (Sorry if Sting's chapter is a bit short...)

* * *

 **18**

 **Ella Greene**

* * *

"There was something here, and it was after them," Jellal said, pointing at Zelda and me.

We shared a nervous look. "Um, what?"

"This is a serious problem," Jellal said angrily, ignoring my question. "He could've killed you before anyone even blinked!"

 _Okay, well_ that's _a scary thought..._

"Where is Makarov?" Jellal asked the nearest person, who gulped and gestured at the closed door of Makarov's office. Jellal stormed over, opened the door, and slammed it behind himself, making everyone jump.

Zelda shivered beside me and I clutched her hand tightly under the table. I noticed that Sting and Rogue sat particularly close to us, and I smiled lightly at the table. "Let's not let this shake us," I whispered to Zelda, squeezing her hand. "Let's just act normal, okay?" She nodded and took a deep breath. "Rogue, want to play chess?"

"Um, sure?"

"Great. Wendy! Wendy- Oh, silly; she can't hear me. I'll be right back." She stood and walked over to where Wendy sat playing cards with Carla. They had a light conversation before Wendy nodded and got up, leading Zelda over to the closet, presumably to get the chess board. I bit my lip and watched Zelda struggle to lug the large board over to the table. She was acting happy, but I could tell she was shaken; we both were.

"Okay, let's do this." Zelda set down the board and slid it to the middle of the table, and Rogue got up to sit on the other side so they were face-to-face. "White goes first," Rogue said, and Zelda bit her lip, surveying her pieces. Both of us had been members of our school's chess club for our freshman year just to learn how to play, and Zelda had gotten very good. She moved a pawn two spaces forward, and I watched as Rogue eyed all of the pieces, his brow furrowed in concentration.

I glanced over at Sting, who was resting his chin in the palm of his hand, gazing out the window. "Sting."

"Hmm?"

"Want to play a game?"

"I guess."

"Okay, I'll teach you one. Turn around." I swung one leg over so I had the bench between my legs and Sting did the same, looking at me with curiosity. "Okay, so... let's play a hand-clapping game."

"A what?"

"Don't tell me you've _never_ played a hand-clapping game?" I said incredulously, and laughed at Sting's blank stare. "Well, I'll fix that now. Okay, put your hands together and up, like this." I showed him, and Sting mirrored me. "Alright, so this is called 'Slide', okay?" He nodded, watching my hands intently.

"First, you slide, then you clap, then you clap with your right hand in the middle, clap, left hand in the middle, clap, and then do like a high-five with the backs of your hands, then the fronts of your hands, and then clap," I said, demonstrating. "And every time you do it, you repeat it, but you add on. So, the second time you go through it, you just make up a new part and keep doing it. It's actually really fun, even if it's a bit childish..."

Sting, who looked slightly confused, nodded. "Okay. Let's try it."

We went through the first round, and Sting stumbled a little but did okay otherwise. We tried a few more times, and by the forth, he was doing it perfectly. "Okay, let's try doing two rounds, and add stuff."

Sting nodded and we did the first round smoothly, then rolled into the second round, and Sting whipped out a complicated snap, clap, hands together, up-down thing that left me in the dust. "You liar," I pouted. "You've done this before!"

Sting shook his head with a cocky grin on his face. "Nope. Never. I'm just that awesome, Ella."

"Right, Mr. Awesome," I said with an eye-roll. "Let's go again. I'll make up the sequence for the third round."

We went smoothly through the first two rounds, and I added on a few moves from another hand-clapping game, 'Tic-Tack-Toe'. Sting managed to keep up with me and he added a few moves for the fourth round, adding all the ones we had done before, as was customary for the game. They were similar to a few moves from some other clapping games, so luckily I kept up very well. By the eighth round, we had a small crowd gathered around us, and Sting and I were so focused on the game that we probably looked deadly serious.

"Whoever messes up first loses," I told Sting, completing a complicated clap, snap, slide, up, down, together maneuver. He grinned, sweat broken out on both our foreheads. "You're on, blondie."

"You're blonde, too!" I complained, copying his frantic hand movements.

"And _you're_ going to lose," he replied, grinning.

"Sure, you tell yourself that."

"Big talk for such a shorty."

"Oh, no you _didn't_!"

"Oh, yes I _did_!"

"It's on!"

"It was already on!"

"You're going down!"

Our hands were moving so fast I wasn't entirely sure how we were still copying each other. Finally, I missed a clap and Sting's hand slipped past mine and grasped my chest. For a second nobody moved. Our faces flamed so red, they rivaled Erza's hair. I jumped back ten feet, covering my chest with my arms and gaping at him with an open mouth. "Shit, no! That's not what I meant to do, I swear!"

The guild roared with laughter as Zelda helped me up, and Rogue smacked Sting on the back of the head. "Shame on you, Sting. Apologize immediately!"

"I'm so sorry, Ella! Really!" Sting bowed down repeatedly, looking embarrassed.

I took a deep breath. "It's, um, it's okay..."

"Damn, I shoulda copped a feel," Macao murmured. "I had no idea she was so forgiving!"

Macao immediately received a punch from every other guy in the guild, and I blushed furiously. How hectic could this guild get?

* * *

 **19**

 **?**

* * *

I stalked through the corridors of the castle, angry. Damn Jellal Fernandes. That Mage had been muddling in my business for years, even if we'd never met. The fool had formed an independent guild that was hell-bent on world-wide justice. It was so annoying. And now he was on my trail, as well as the Dragon Slayers. _So be it. I'll just have to be more careful from now on. Although, now they're familiar with my presence. I need to act soon. But how? Those two Twin Dragons won't leave the girls' sides now that they're on to me. But, they'll be wide open while they sleep... Yes. I'll strike tonight, before they can even blink._

I smiled to myself and walked back to my laboratory. I had set up all the equipment for the experiments already. Luckily that Jellal hadn't stumbled upon the girls' secret yet, and I hoped it would stay that way. If he found out that their bodies held the capability to adapt to any environment he would tell the Magic Council, and everything would be ruined. But I didn't think he would figure it out before tonight. He probably thought the girls' bodies were allergic to Ethernanos, not able to absorb it, which worked in my favor.

Pulling on a pair of gloves, I arranged a line of scalpels on a clean silver tray. I suspected that some Lacrima or some such thing had found its way into their bodies, and was acting as the core of their adaptation to new environments and such. If that was so, I'd have to extract it in order to make copies. Of course, the girls would most likely not survive the process, but it was for the world of science. And I had two of them, as well. That was lucky. If I messed up on one, I had a backup.

Now all I had to do was put my plan in action.

* * *

The whole town of Magnolia slept soundly as I crept through the streets towards the female dorms where the girls were staying. My presence was concealed better than last time, and I was sure if Jellal did take notice of me, he wouldn't be able to track my exact location right away, and I would be long gone by the time he could. Everything was perfect.

I swept through the grounds of the dorms like a ghost, my dark cloak flowing out behind me. The light was off in all the rooms, and I quietly unlocked the door and crept up the stairs and into their room. The girls were angels asleep, their faces relaxed and moonlight shining down on their faces, making them seem ethereal. I shook off my giddiness and pulled out the teleportation Lacrima I had brought, setting it up on the floor between the girls and standing directly on top of it. I rested a hand on the Lacrima and took a deep breath. I whispered to it where I wanted it to take us, and the magic started to work.

White noise built up in the room, so loud I thought it would wake them, until particles of dust swirled around us in a billowing tunnel of air. In a flash we were zipped up by the air, and in a flash I was standing in my lab, the girls collapsing onto the stone floor beside me. They jolted awake, and before they could figure out what was going on, I whispered a spell, causing red runes to wrap around them, binding them.

"Who are you! Where are we?!"

I ignored the questions and flicked a finger, making the runes creep up to block them from talking. I loaded them up on the tables, applying the many restraints and readying all my equipment. I placed light Lacrimas above both of the tables and blindfolded the wide-eyed girls, adding gags as an afterthought. I snapped my fingers, releasing Bind Snake. Everything was going perfectly. I was a bit surprised that things were going so smoothly. Usually there were a few things to take care of, but this really had been a genius plan.

"Now," I murmured, pulling on my gloves. "Time to get to work. No time wasted."

I was reaching for a scalpel when I suddenly cursed, tugging off the gloves. I needed antiseptic and other chemicals. I had completely forgotten. There was the blip in the plan. A small blip, but a blip nonetheless. I cursed again and tugged a hand roughly through my hair, pulling on my dark cloak. I'd have to make a small trip before I could get started. I glanced at the girls regretfully and sighed. "Too bad. But no matter. This won't take me long."

I teleported to the forest, where my chemicals and poisons man waited in his small shack. Hopefully nothing else would interrupt my plan. I was getting slightly annoyed.

"Things better go my way, or I'll have to take all my anger out on _someone_."

* * *

 **20**

 **Sting Eucliffe**

* * *

I jerked awake in the middle of the night, feeling a spike of terror run through me. I grasped my chest and sucked in ragged breaths. Rogue looked the same in the bed next to mine, his eyes wide with panic. "You feel it too?" I struggled to say, my chest feeling like a hole had been ripped in it. Rogue nodded. "Something is... _wrong_. I can sense it."

My eyes widened as I met his gaze. "You don't think... That presence from earlier..."

"Zelda and Ella!"

We jumped up at the same time, pulling on shirts. "What's the closest route to Fairy Hills?" I asked the innkeeper frantically, making the poor girl jump six feet in the air. "I- I don't know, si-" I was already running past her, Rogue on my heels. "Why, why did we leave Lector and Frosch behind?!"

"It's no use now!" I barked, running down an alley towards Fairy Tail. "I think I know where it is. I can smell them."

We ran past the guild and up a large grassy hill. Fairy Hills was completely dark, and I busted open the door, not caring who heard as I took the stairs two at a time towards the room where their scent was the strongest. Rogue kicked that door down, and we burst in breathless to find their beds empty.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Rogue yelled, tugging a hand through his hair. "It got them!"

"How are we supposed to track it?!" I asked frantically, pacing back and forth. Papers were spread all across the floor, and the girls' presences were faded, telling me they had been gone for a while. "Why didn't we have someone watching them at night? We let this happen!"

"What's going on?!" Erza roared, racing in wielding a sword, dressed in full armor, and followed by a wide-eyed Wendy, who was still in her pajamas.

"That bastard that's been haunting the guild broke in and took Ella and Zelda!" I yelled, struggling to keep from punching the wall.

Immediately, Erza straightened, her face serious. "Come with me to the guild. Now."

Rogue and I nodded and the three of us headed towards the stairs. Erza ordered Wendy to fly around with Carla and gather everyone up to meet at the guild, and the blue-haired Dragon Slayer nodded and hurried off.

The guild was empty when we got there, and Erza had to wake Master Makarov up from a deep sleep to tell him what had happened, but it got him moving, all right. We all met in the center of the guild, and Wendy came bursting in several minutes later followed by Juvia, Gray, Levy, Lucy, and several others. "Natsu and Gajeel are gathering the rest," she said as everyone milled around Makarov, waiting to hear what happened.

Once everyone had arrived, Makarov cleared his throat. "Erza has informed me that the evil presence we've been aware of for the past few days has finally acted. They stole away Ella and Zelda. We don't know when, or why, and we have no way to track him. That's why I've gathered you all here. Levy, Lucy, Freed, Jellal; I want our top minds on this, thinking of ways to find him."

Those four nodded and huddled together at a table, talking seriously with grave expressions on their faces while Makarov directed orders at the others. "You Dragon Slayers, I want you to fly around the city and try to catch their scent. Jet, you go too. With your speed, you can check some of the other nearby cities."

Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel nodded in unison, and started off, while Rogue and I just stood there. "Oh, that's right; your Exceeds aren't here. Well, no matter, boys. Go out on foot. Understood?"

We nodded, and started out after Jet and the other Dragon Slayers. I closed my eyes and focused on her scent specifically; mint and honeysuckle. I sniffed around, and Rogue did the same beside me. I got more and more panicked by the second as I didn't catch any sign of them on the wind, until I finally caught a small whiff of that lovely scent, straight to the east. I pointed that direction, and Rogue nodded. We started running, and I followed the scent towards Onibus. I would've left Magnolia entirely if Rogue hadn't stopped me. "We need to tell the others."

"I know, but... What if I lose the scent?"

"You won't. I'll go. You stay here." He ran back the way we came, and I punched myself inwardly. Rogue was probably just as worried and stressed as me, and I was being way less rational. I needed to take a deep breath and calm myself down if I wanted to get Ella back. I would be no use to anyone as a panicked mess. But... why couldn't I seem to keep myself calm? I had only known Ella for only a few days, and I already felt like I couldn't live without her... How was this possible? What was this feeling?

And why did I feel like my world would shatter like glass if I didn't get her back?

* * *

 **21**

 **Zelda D'Angelo**

* * *

Fear was all I felt. I couldn't see or talk, and I was still trying to figure out what happened. One moment El and I were in our room, and now this... The one thing on my mind, strangely, was that I wanted to have a rematch chess game with Rogue. You know how they say that when you're in a stressful or scary situation, your mind comes up with an escape to keep you calm? That was my escape, I guess. Thinking that if I died her, I wouldn't be able to beat Rogue in chess. That was my motivation to get myself out of there.

I heard the man who had kidnapped us leave after a while, and I wiggled my tongue against the fabric of the gag. I pushed at it and worked at it with my lips and teeth until I got it off and took a heavy breath. "Ella, I'm going to get us out of here."

I wiggled my wrists against the restraints experimentally. They weren't too tight. I could slip my wrists out. Taking a deep breath, I used one of my weird talents that I hardly every showed anyone; contracting my wrists. I slid out firs my right, then my left hand, sitting up hurriedly and pulling off the blindfold. Not wasting any time on my surroundings, I undid the rest of the straps holding me down and slid myself off the high table.

"Ella, I'm free! I'll get you out now, so stay still." I worked on untying her, and when she was free, we hugged each other tightly.

"C'mon," I said, pulling away and squeezing her hand. "Let's get out of here."

We headed for the nearest set of stairs, which were built up the side of a stone wall, and took them two at a time. I pushed open the door we came up on and pulled up sharply, letting out a surprised gasp. Below us was a twenty foot drop, at least. I sucked in a deep breath. "I think... I think I can get us down. Hold on tight." I let Ella climb on my back, struggling under her equal weight, and took a deep breath before leaping off the edge.

I created a spinning tornado under my feet and started walking towards the ground, like I was walking down invisible stairs. I looked around as we descended, looking for familiar scenery. We were in an ashy plain, surrounded by gray trees, and tall mountain peaks. The thing we had just come from was a castle, which loomed above the mountains like a towering black beast.

I set us down gently on the ground, and Ella slid off my back, allowing me to straighten and looking around fully. "Where are we?" Ella asked, rubbing her arms as a chill wind blew through the plain. I shrugged, shivering. "Dunno. We need to find someone, though. I can try to fly up and see if there are any towns around."

Ella nodded, looking guilty. "I'm sorry I can't do anything to help."

"Don't say that, El," I said, hugging her. "I wouldn't be able to stay so calm without you. Now, you search around the forest a bit while I look in the sky. Yell if you need me." I crouched and jumped up, catching myself in a whirlwind and traveling upwards. I struggled to keep sweat from breaking out on my brow. I was new to magic, and it was taking a great toll on me.

I looked around, swiveling in the air and squinting down at the ground. I was starting to lose hope when I spotted a few houses off in the distance. I let myself smile, relieved, and lowered myself down. "Ella! I see some houses!"

There was no answer, and I peered around for my best friend. "Ella?" I asked, starting to get worried. "Where are you?" I walked through the forest, searching for her. I heard and saw nothing for several minutes, until a scream tore through the woods, sending horrified shivers racing up my spine. "ELLA!" I started running, cutting branches out of my way with my wind. I had to get to her... Ella...

I burst into a clearing, and saw Ella on the ground, her leg twisted at an odd angle and tears shining in her eyes. The guy from earlier was holding up a hand, which was lit in bright blue fire, about to launch it at her. I moved without thinking. The fireball caught me in the chest and I screamed as I fell and tumbled across the ground, slamming to a stop against a tree. My breath left me in a whoosh, but I tore my eyes open to see Ella looking at me in horror, screaming my name.

 _Worry about yourself, dummy..._ I thought, struggling to rise as our kidnapper cooked up another fireball. I felt something liquid seeping through my side; broken rib. Hell. You can do this, I urged myself. Be strong like Natsu, and Erza, and Lucy! Fight to protect Ella!

I staggered to a stop in front of Ella and held out my arms, one of my eyes swollen shut from my tumbled across the ground, cuts and bruises covering every inch of me, my clothes torn. Our kidnapper smiled. "I can't kill both of you."

"You'll have to go through me to get her."

"Well, you were the most promising, but I suppose she'll do, if you're that eager to die."

I narrowed my one good eye and straightened my back, stilling my shaking arms and spreading my feet wide to give myself better balance. "Come and get me, you bastard."

"Suit yourself." He held up a hand, which was sheathed in blue flames. I stared straight ahead, meeting his eyes defiantly as he brought his arm back and threw the fireball straight at my chest. Everything seemed to happen so fast. Ella screamed my name, and so did another, farther off voice; the world seemed to come into perspective in that last moment, every sound, scent, sensation, and sight clearer; I closed my eyes.

"ZELDA!"


	7. Rescued

**22**

 **Rogue Cheney**

* * *

"ZELDA!" I screamed as the fireball came straight towards her. I wouldn't make it in time.

Ella suddenly screamed so loud birds flew off the trees. She stood up and held out her hands, and green light burst free from her hands and formed a cage around the man, knocking him backwards. Her eyes turned dark and she brought her hands together and the cage started to shrink. Pushing Zelda behind her, Ella walked forwards, her hands held up. I ran to Zelda, who stumbled and fell right as I reached her.

"Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay."

"I'm fine," she said as I helped her up, brushing herself off. We both looked to Ella, who was bringing her hands slowly together, making the cage smaller and smaller. Sting grabbed her arm and said something to her, watching the light with wide eyes. He kept talking to her, until she finally took a step back, her arms lowering and the green light dissipating. She stumbled, and Zelda raced to her side, steadying her.

For a moment all four of us just looked at each other. The girls were shivering in their pajamas, and I silently took off my cloak and handed it to Zelda, who wrapped it around both their shoulders. "I'm so glad you're okay," Sting said, breaking the silence. He was looking directly at Ella, and Zelda smiled slightly as Ella ran a hand through her hair, giving him a shaky smile. "Yeah, only... the whole 'magic' thing is new."

"Yeah... Well, we'll have to-"

A sudden blast interrupted the rest of Sting's words, and all four of us were thrown off our feet. My ears were ringing as I struggled to pull myself up to my hands and knees, and I felt blood on my earlobe when I touched it. Sting, Ella, and Zelda were struggling to stand as well, and I watched in horror as the man held up a hand, glowing in blue flames. He'd set off some kind of explosion that only affected us, because there was a large circular indent surrounding all five of us, and the grass was completely scorched away.

"You insolent Dragon Slayers just don't know when to give up," he spat, a crazed look in his eyes as he held up his other hand, which was quickly ignited as well. "I would have spared your lives if you hadn't come here, but it appears I'll have to kill you."

"Don't touch them!" Zelda and Ella shouted in unison, finally rising and shoving Sting and me back, surprising us both.

The man laughed, his face lit up in his own ghostly blue flames. "Step aside, little girls. You'll only prolong their suffering."

"I appreciate the help," I said, sweeping Zelda aside, "but we can take this guy."

Zelda narrowed her eyes. "Don't be an idiot!"

I blinked in surprise.

"I won't let you be my shield," she said, walking past me towards the fire-wielder. I reached for her sleeve but it seemed to slip through my fingers. "I'll fight beside you, and I won't give up, no matter what happens. I don't care what he does to me; I'm not letting him touch anyone I care about."

She raised a hand, and a spinning circle of wind formed in her palm. The faintest of smiles bloomed on her face as she faced her kidnapper, the setting sun framing her face in bright red. "You messed with the wrong girls," she said. "Right, El?"

"Right. Now let's show him just how wrong," Ella said, smirking and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her best friend. I shared a look with Sting, who shrugged. "We might as well help them fight."

I smiled. "I thought you might say that."

* * *

 **23**

 **Ella Greene**

* * *

I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Zelda, and we faced our kidnapper. Night was upon us, and I shared a look with Zelda, wanting to finish this as soon as possible. We launched forwards at the same time, and I experimented by raising a hand. Green light sparked above it, and I smiled and launched it towards the kidnapper. Expecting it, he dodged, but Zelda was there, and swept him off his feet with a harsh gust of wind.

Sting and Rogue rushed past her and launched a fierce combo attack on the guy, and Zelda and I held back, waiting for a break in the combat so we could jump back in. When they pulled back, we pulled forward, and I threw more and more green cages of light, but he somehow managed to dodge every one of them. Zelda filled in the gaps I left while attacking, launching whirlwinds and sharp slashes of wind.

After a while of all our attacks missing, we stopped about six feet from our kidnapper, at an impasse.

"Finally realized you can't win, did you?" he asked, smirking. "Maybe if you surrender now, I'll let the Dragon Slayers go."

"Like hell," I snarled, getting pissed at this guy's smug attitude. But... I could tell Zelda was getting tired, and so was I. Rogue and Sting might be able to carry on longer then us, but I didn't want them to get hurt. But what other options were there besides to fight? I couldn't turn tail and run. He'd undoubtedly catch us, and then we'd _all_ die.

"Zelda," I said, taking a deep breath. "You, Rogue, and Sting get out of here and find the rest of Fairy Tail. Bring them back here. I can handle this guy until then."

"No way!" Zelda protested, resting a hand on my arm. "Come with us! We can all get away."

"No," I said grimly," we can't. I'll be fine. Just trust me." I met her eyes, and after several moments, Zelda reluctantly agreed. I turned back, expecting all three of them to go, but a moment later a hand closed around my shoulder, and I turned, startled, to see Sting standing there, smirking.

" _You_ get out of here," he said, pushing me back gently. "I can take this guy no problem."

"Don't be an idiot, Sting!" I said angrily. "I won't run and let you fight my battles for me." I took a deep breath. "We're in this together, whether you like it or not!"

He grinned. "Well then, let's do this, together."

I smiled back at him. "Okay. But you better not get in my way."

"As if."

We faced our foe together, and I met Sting's eyes. "Your move," I said, smiling. Sting cracked his neck from side to side, grinning. "My pleasure." A white light surrounded him, and Sting immediately ran forward to attack. Meanwhile, I formed a length of green light into a sword, amazed at what this magic could do. Holding the sword, I watched Sting and the man clash like gods, their speed almost inhuman.

When Sting pulled back, I ran forward and slashed with my sword. The man leaped back, surprised, a small cut leaking red on his cheek. I leveled my blade at him, and launched another series of attacks. He was insanely fast, and I leaped forward, bringing my sword down hard. It met the dirt and stuck there, and the few seconds it took me to get it out allowed him to get behind me. Before Sting could yell a warning, a foot was planted firmly on the small of my back and I was kicked forward. I flipped over, loosing the grip on my sword, which dissolved into light and vanished. I rolled across the ground until I hit a tree, jerking to a painful stop.

Sting was at my side in an instant, and I waved his hand away as I stood on my own, breathing heavily. Holding up a shaky hand, I formed a bow of green light. "Sting," I said, turning to him. "I want to try something, but I need your help."

"Sure," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Just tell me what to do."

I nodded and held out my hand to him, which he took hesitantly. I closed my eyes and said, "Focus on me. Try to feel my magic, and I'll try to feel yours." After a moment of silence, I asked, "Do you feel it?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now try to merge them together."

"Okay."

After a few seconds, I was worried nothing was going to happen, but then it was like a tap turned on, and I felt Sting's magic flow into me. I turned my tap on for him, and after a while I heard him suck in a breath. Our minds and bodies felt like one, and I silently told him what I wanted to do. He seemed to agree, and between our hands a slim object began to form. When it was completed, we both opened our eyes. I felt a glowing green arrow, which seemed to spit out white particles, like snow.

Sting moved behind me so his chest was against my back, and he lined up our arms. Our fingers intertwined, we threaded the arrow into the string of the bow, drew it back, aimed, and fired. It shot straight for our opponent, and he tried to dodge it, but it seemed to follow him. With a yell, he was hit and flying into a nearby tree.

I let the bow dissolve and formed a plain ball of green light, still tinged with white. "Now's our chance!" I yelled at Sting. "Let's give him everything we've got!"

* * *

 **24**

 **Sting Eucliffe**

* * *

We launched forwards together, and I felt our magic blend at the moment we attacked, and a huge bomb of light exploded all around us, making my vision go white for several terrifying seconds. When it cleared, the man was gone. I wasn't sure where he had gone; if we had vaporized him, or if he had somehow escaped. Whatever the case, I felt that it was a victory, and I turned with a grin to congratulate Ella.

However, she wasn't standing next to me. She was sprawled out on the ground, her eyes closed and lips parted. "Ella?" I breathed, all my pride melting as I hurriedly knelt by her side and lifted her onto my lap, brushing the messy strands of hair out of her face. "Ella? Are you okay?"

There was no answer, and, feeling a knife of fear plunged into my heart, I rested my fingers against her wrist, feeling for a heartbeat. It was there, but very weak. I breathed out a sigh of relief, but wouldn't let myself relax, knowing that I still needed to get her back to Fairy Tail so Wendy could help her.

Scooping her up bridal-style, I took a deep breath, searching for Wendy's scent on the wind. She was east of me, and I started in that direction, knowing Rogue could track my scent to find me. Night had fallen by then, and the only light to guide me was that of the moon as I hurried in the direction of Wendy.

* * *

I kicked open the door of the Fairy Tail guild and found everyone gathered there. I was soaked to the bone and shivering, since it had started to rain on the way. When they saw me, everyone immediately crowded around us, but I shoved them frantically out of the way, my eyes searching the crowd for Wendy. When I finally found her, I was out of breath and gasped out, "Ella- Help..."

Wendy took in the situation very quickly and cleared off a table, instructing me to lay Ella out on it. I did so and stepped back as Wendy looked her over. "What's wrong with her?" I asked impatiently after a moment, worry clawing its way into my voice.

"She just used too much of her magic too fast," Wendy said, giving me a tired but reassuring smile. "She'll be fine with a little treatment."

I nodded and tugged a hand through my hair as Wendy held her hands over Ella's chest, her palms glowing as she healed her. After a while someone pushed me down into a chair, handed me something hot to drink, and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. After a while I must've dozed off, because when I woke up, pale gray light filtered through the windows, lighting up the dust motes in the air. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, stretching to relieve the ache in my limbs and immediately turning my eyes to Ella to check on her.

She wasn't on the table, and I stiffened, glancing around in a panic until a hand closed around my shoulder. I turned and Ella smiled at me, handing me a plate of eggs and bacon. "I brought you break- Sting?" I set the food on the table and stood, enveloping her in a tight hug. "I'm glad you're okay," I said, stepping back and holding her by the shoulders. A faint blush spread across her cheeks. "Thanks. I'm... I'm glad you're okay, too."

"Did Rogue and Zelda get back safely?" I asked as Ella sat next to me at the table and I started eating. She nodded. "Yeah. They're both fine. I think they're both resting in the infirmary. They were really tired when they got back, and were chilled from the rain."

I nodded and there was a comfortable silence between us as I finished eating. When I was done I realized that she was sleeping, much like everyone else in the guild, who were spread out, their heads resting on tables. I smiled and picked her up, carrying her upstairs to the infirmary to sleep.

Rogue and Zelda were asleep in two beds when I got there, and I set Ella next to her friend, sitting down in a chair that had been set out beside her bed. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, falling asleep with her scent in my nose.

* * *

 **25**

 **Zelda D'Angelo**

* * *

I woke to find myself back in the Fairy Tail infirmary, Rogue and Ella asleep in beds next to mine, and Sting asleep in a chair by Ella's bed. I got out of bed, the floor cold against my bare feet, and walked to the window. It was morning, and dew shone on the grass and trees from the rain last night. I opened the window to let a chill breeze swoop in, and I shivered, still in my pajamas.

A gentle hand closed around my shoulder, and I turned to find Rogue next to me. He leaned against the sill beside me, and we looked out at the still sleeping town of Magnolia. A sudden flash of color caught my eyes, and I leaned out over the sill. "Look, Rogue!" I exclaimed, pointing. "A rainbow! Isn't it beautiful?"

Rogue smiled. "Yeah, it is."

We looked out at the rainbow for a while, until I said, "I wonder what will happen now."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, before this all happened we were just going to wait for a way to get home. Do we just... _keep_ waiting now?"

Rogue shrugged. "What else can you do?"

I sighed. "I guess you're right. What else _can_ I do? I'm not even strong enough to protect my best friend..." The last part was barely a whisper, but I guess Rogue heard me, because he grabbed my shoulders and spun me around to face him. "Don't sell yourself short," he said, his eyes flaming. "You may not be Fiore's strongest Mage, but you _are_ strong, Zelda, and don't you ever forget that."

I blinked at him, feeling tears come on. "Thank you, Rogue. I mean, not just for saying that, but for everything. Thank you for coming for us."

Rogue hugged me to him, his chin resting on the top of my head. "I couldn't imagine being without you," he said honestly, and I felt myself blush. "I don't know why," he continued, "but I feel like I've known you forever, and I felt like a piece of me was... _missing_ when you were gone."

I stepped back, Rogue still holding my shoulders, and looked up at him. "You took the words right out of my mouth," I whispered, slightly scared to admit I felt the same. But Rogue smiled softly at me, and he tilted my chin up, closing his eyes. I felt my heart beat like a frantic dragonfly against my rib-cage, and I closed my eyes as our lips met, fireworks flashing behind my closed eyelids.

When we pulled apart, I felt calmer, and I smiled up at him, and he smiled down at me. We turned back to the window, and my smile widened when Rogue wrapped an arm around my shoulder. I leaned against him and looked out at the misty morning and the rainbow still stretching across the sky. Maybe the future was uncertain, but right now, here with this boy who made me feel whole, I couldn't say I really cared.

* * *

TWO MORE CHAPTERS, GUYS! I'LL FINALLY FINISH A STORY! XD Sorry if Zelda's chapter was a bit short. I'll make up for it next time. Also, please do review and let me know what you think. I love hearing from all of you guys, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :)


	8. One Crazy Party

**26**

 **Ella Greene**

* * *

"Sting! Wait up!" I pulled up next to him and braced my hands against my knees, breathing heavily and glaring at him.

Sting smirked and said, "If you don't hurry up, we'll be late."

I stuck my tongue out at him and we started off again. It was February fourteenth, almost one month since we arrived here, and Sting and I were on our way to Fairy Tail's Valentine's Day party. Zelda and Rogue were already there, helping Mira set up the decorations. Those two had been acting all love-sick ever since that night last month, and it turns out - as Zelda told me - that Rogue kissed her. I was happy for them, of course, but also worried. The more we got involved with the people here, the harder it would be to leave.

Sting grabbed my hand, snapping me out of my thoughts, and started towing me along faster. "You're such a slow poke!" he said, and I glared at him. "It's not my fault! I've only been training for a month..."

Sting rolled his eyes. "C'mon, we're almost there." I noticed that he slowed his pace a little and didn't let my hand go. I blushed slightly and smiled, trying to go faster. The guild was decorated in red and pink strings of heart garlands, and Sting and I briefly stopped to admire the work. Zelda was up about twelve feet in the air, balanced on a whirlwind, putting up another strand of the hearts. She waved at us, and we waved back before heading inside.

The inside was a lot more crowded than the outside, red and pink streamers hanging from all the ceiling beams and heart-shaped balloons in the centers of all the tables. Mira immediately called us over to help set out the mountains of food, most of which were heart-shaped. I grabbed four plates, balancing two on each arm, silently thanking my previous job on Earth as a waitress at a small diner.

Before long all the food was set out, the decorations were all put up, and people started flowing in. I hung out with Lucy, Wendy, Zelda, and Levy. We talked and ate and laughed, and before long someone put on some music and things really went nuts. Lucy dragged all of us onto the dance floor, and I just swayed back and forth to the music nervously along with Zelda, seeing as how neither of us really knew how to dance.

"What's wrong, blondie? Shy?" I jumped and turned to see Sting standing beside me. I shook my head. "I'm just... not much of a dancer." I smiled sheepishly and tucked a strand of hair behind me ear. Sting smirked. "Well, it's not that hard. Come here and I'll show you."

I stepped forward reluctantly, and Sting picked me up, making me squeal. He set my feet down on his and took my hands. He started dancing, taking slow, even steps around the floor, avoiding the other swaying people. "For a while I just stared at him, until he rolled his eyes and said, "Don't watch me, watch my feet. How else will you learn?"

"R-right," I stuttered, looking down and focusing on his movements.

"Okay," I said after a while. "I think I've got it."

Sting smirked. "Oh really? Should I kick it up a notch, then?"

I smirked back at him. "Go ahead. I can keep up."

"Okay, but you asked for it." Suddenly he set me down on the ground, and twirled me around so fast I was dizzy for a moment. Me moved in flashes, and I realized that we were doing something similar to salsa dancing. Only, I really wasn't doing much; it was all Sting. Sting picked me up by the waist and swung me between his legs and back out, and I held back a nervous squeal. When he finally finished, spinning me out and back in, I was breathless but laughing.

"Wow," I breathed, staring at Sting, who suddenly appeared in a new light. "You... really know how to dance."

He smirked. "Obviously."

I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm going to get something to eat. Want to come?"

"It would be my pleasure," he said, linking arms with me. I felt myself blushing and I cursed myself. Damn Sting and his charm.

"This party sure is crazy," I commented as we sat down, glancing around at all the fighting, dancing, and laughing people around me. Sting shrugged. "Actually this is one of Fairy Tail's more tame parties. You should've been here for New Years. Now _that_ was something."

I laughed. "Yeah, I can only imagine."

We ate in a comfortable silence for a while, and I gazed out the window at the blue sky, smiling to myself. This world... This world was going to be hard to say goodbye to.

* * *

 **27**

 **Rogue Cheney**

* * *

Noticing Zelda dancing with Lucy and a few others, I made my way towards her through the crowd. She doesn't see me until I tap her on the shoulder, and she turns to me, smiling. "Would you care to dance?" I asked her, holding out a hand. "I would be delighted," she said, laughing and taking my hand.

I twirled her around the room, and we seemed to move together. They say if you're a truly skilled dancer, you can meet with a perfect stranger and dance exquisitely together. That's what I felt right now, and by the time the song ended, we were both breathless, but I'd never felt more alive.

"That was fun," Zelda said breathlessly.

I nodded and smiled. "Want to get some food?"

She smiled. "I would love to."

They made their way over to the table of food and helped themselves. The day was slowly turning to evening, and the party was picking up. People were literally coming in from the streets, and I swear I even saw Jellal, Meredy, and the Lamia Scale bunch around.

"Maybe we should move to a cafe or something," Zelda yelled over the music. "It's getting a little crazy in here!"

"Yeah!" I yelled back, moving towards the front of the guild. "But we have to get Sting and Ella first!"

Zelda shouted consent and we started looking for them, edging our way through the crowd. I saw them first, and I stopped Zelda with a hand, my eyes practically bugging out of my head. Her eyes followed mine and she giggled, putting her hand over her mouth so they didn't hear as she pulled me back into an alcove.

Sting was kissing Ella, and he had her pressed against the wall, his hands on either side of her head and hers wrapped around his middle. Zelda leaned back against the wall across from me, smiling. "I saw it coming," she admitted, folding her hands behind her back and leaning against them.

"I did too," I admitted, running a hand through my hair sheepishly.

We were silent for a while, watching the party go on around us. Zelda looked out at the crowd, and I looked at her. The dimmed, multi-colored lights of the party reflected against her hair, making it appear dark purple. I reached across the gap and took her hand, and she smiled at me gently. I took a few steps forward so we were about an inch apart, brushing her hair back behind her ear.

I took her chin and tilted her mouth upwards, and she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around me. The kiss was sweet, even with the background noise, blaring music, and flashing lights, and when I pulled away, Zelda shared a smile with me. "We should probably go get them now."

"Yeah," Zelda agreed, pulling away from the wall and heading towards Ella and Sting. She faked a trip to make noise and allow them some time to collect themselves before walking over, smiling brightly. "Rogue and I thought we four should head out to a cafe to get away from all this noise."

"Oh, yeah," Ella agreed, smiling in a blushy way. "That would be great!"

We all turned and headed out into the cool night air, the moon a bright white beacon lighting our way.

The cafe wasn't far from the guild - an old brick building with a hand-painted sign out front reading "Olive Rose Cafe". The building itself was covered in ivy and roses, and the tables outside were all empty, their umbrellas lowered to stop the wind from catching them and blowing away.

I smiled and held the door open for the girls.

* * *

 **28**

 **Zelda D'Angelo**

* * *

We stepped into a cafe not far from the guild and sat down, ordering drinks and slices of cake. The cafe was fairly packed, mostly with other members of Fairy Tail, like Levy and Lucy, who had grown sick of the noise and chaos. They waved at us and we waved back, smiling as we ate our food. Ella and I slid out of our jackets, laying them on the back of our chairs in the heat of the cafe.

Rogue, Ella, Sting, and I all chatted and laughed nonchalantly, slowly sinking into the gentle buzz of the cafe. After we had finished our food, we sat and chatted for a little while longer, biding our time before heading back to Fairy Tail. On the way out the door, I thought I was forgetting something and turned to wave at Lucy and Levy before heading out. I didn't realize what I had actually forgotten until I was back on the street, out of the heat, and the cold wind bit into me.

"Shoot!" I exclaimed, causing Ella, Sting, and Rogue to stop. "We forgot our jackets!"

"You're right!" Ella said, slapping a palm to her forehead. "Crap."

"Don't worry," I told the boys apologetically. "You guys go on ahead. We'll grab them and meet you back here."

Sting shrugged and started walking back towards Fairy Tail, Rogue beside him. "We're still so forgetful," Ella muttered as we started back towards the cafe, huddling close to each other and rubbing our arms furiously for warmth. "Yeah," I agreed, my teeth chattering. "Some habits just can't be helped, I guess."

Ella laughed, shivering. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Hey, girls!"

Ella and I paused to see a group of guys walking up to us. There were about five of them, and they were all handsome and appeared friendly. "Hi," I said, continuing towards the cafe. I didn't want to be rude, but I was freezing my butt off out there.

"You guys looking for something?" one asked; a guy with cropped brown hair and light blue eyes, wearing black pants and a dark leather jacket.

"Yeah," Ella answered. "We forgot our jackets."

"Oh, well here," the guy said, taking off his jacket. "Take mine."

"No, no," Ella protested. "I don't want to impose."

"It's totally fine," the guy insisted, wrapping his jacket around her. His friend took his off and handed it to me with a smile. I accepted, offering him a grateful smile in return. Hey; I was about to drop dead from the cold.

"We'll walk you there. Which cafe was it?"

"Olive Rose Cafe," I answered as we started walking. "Although, we might not be going the right way..." To be honest, I wasn't sure if we were supposed to take a right or a left at the next street corner. Ella and I were still memorizing Magnolia after only two months of living there.

"Oh, I know where that is," the blue-eyed guy said, gesturing to the left. "I'll show you the way. And my name is Ryuu, by the way."

"Thank you. I'm Ella, and that's my best friend, Zelda."

"Nice to meet you girls. These are my friends, Mitsuru, Shima, Tatsuya, and Yori."

"Nice to meet you," Ella and I echoed.

I honestly couldn't believe how lucky we were to have found these guys. Seriously, we probably never would've found the cafe without them.

"This way's a shortcut," Ryuu said, jerking a thumb at an alley to the right.

"Cool," I breathed in relief. "The sooner the better. It's freezing out here."

* * *

 **29**

 **Sting Eucliffe**

* * *

"Hey, shouldn't the girls be back by now?" I asked Rogue, my chin resting in the palm of my hand. "The cafe wasn't that far away, and it's been fifteen minutes already."

"You're right," he said, frowning and glancing at the door. "Should we go get them?"

"Don't have anything else to do," I responded, standing and making my way through the crowd. Rogue and I pushed out into the chilly night air, making our way towards the cafe. The streets were empty, and the wind blew through them in howling sweeps, sounding like wolves were running through them.

I shivered as we passed by a street corner, and I paused. "Hold up. The cafe's to the right, but-" I took a deep sniff of the air. "The girls went that way."

"Do you think they forgot where it was?" Rogue asked, sighing. "That'd be just like them."

I sighed in answer. "Probably. Let's follow their scent and fetch them before they end up frozen in an alley somewhere."

Rogue and I turned left and followed the trail of scent, which took us down a tiny alley and out onto an even quieter, deader section of streets. "I've got a bad feeling about this," Rogue said suddenly, his eyes alert. I nodded. "I know. Me too. You think they-"

A sudden scream tore through the air; a scream I recognized. Rogue and I broke into a run, turning down a side street to find a group of people in front of us. There were five guys, and two girls, their faces illuminated by the moon. Ella and Zelda. Ella was hugging herself and Zelda was standing in front of her, arms spread out. "Don't you touch her!"

"Don't worry, sweetheart," one with cropped brown hair said, smirking. "You'll get yours soon enough."

Right as he was reaching for Zelda, her eyes squeezed shut, Rogue yelled, "HEY!" and broke into a dead sprint towards them. The guys panicked and scattered, and they were gone before Rogue even got close. I was right behind him and as soon as Ella saw me she burst into tears and threw herself into my arms. I held her tightly and smoothed the back of her hair, trying to calm her down.

Eventually her sobs died down to sniffles, and I pulled back to look down at her. Her eyes were red and she looked up at me like I was the best thing she'd ever seen. I smiled at her and flicked her on the forehead. "You're so reckless, blondie. Didn't you know you're not supposed to talk to strangers?"

Ella sniffled and smiled back at me. "Yeah, but I guess I forgot."

I grinned and slung an arm around her shoulder. "And besides, don't talk to other guys. I'm the jealous type, you know."

She punched me in the side. "Shut up."

We started walking back to the guild, Zelda and Rogue behind us, holding hands. The party was even crazier than before, and I grimaced as we walked in. Natsu was swaying on his feet, leaning against an annoyed Lucy, Gajeel was red in the face dancing with Levy (really more like tossing her around...), Cana had started a huge game of strip poker in the corner, and Loke was hanging upside down from the rafters by his legs, his glasses tilted on his face. Lord knew how he even got up there...

"AHHHHH!" someone screamed as Elfman picked them up and tossed them at the roof. They got caught on a ceiling beam and hung there among the remains of streamers. That answered that question... Rogue and I led the girls to the food table and got them some drinks, waiting for them to down the glasses before pulling them back onto the dance floor.

"Round two?" I asked, holding out a hand to Ella. She smiled and took my hand, and I was about to twirl her when the song changed to a slow, soft one. We glanced around to see people pairing up and slow-dancing. Natsu fell against Lucy and she rolled her eyes and drug him onto the floor, allowing him to rest his head on her shoulder as they spun in slow circles.

I looked back at Ella and smiled, raising an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes and nodded. I picked her up, placing her feet on top of mine so were were almost nose to nose. I rested my hands on her waist and she rested her head on my shoulder, her arms encircling my back and holding me tightly.

Across from us Zelda and Rogue looked much the same, only they were gazing into each other's eyes. I looked away and rested my chin on Ella's head, smiling slightly.

"You know, I'm starting to hope there's no way home," Ella said into my neck, her breath tickling my skin.

"Why's that?"

"Because I never want to have to say goodbye to you."

"You won't," I told her, closing my eyes, "because wherever you go, I'll follow you."


	9. Hope

**A/N:** My god, this was a long chapter. 0_0 You're welcome.

* * *

 **30**

 **Rogue Cheney**

* * *

Zelda and I eyed each other, balancing back and forth on the balls of our feet, ready to spring into action. "It's mine," Zelda said, narrowing her eyes. I smirked. "We'll see about that."

At the same time we both launched forwards, making a grab for the muffin. Zelda's hand closed around it seconds before mine and she licked the top, smiling triumphantly. "Ha! Now you _can't_ eat it."

"Oh yeah?" I swiped the muffin and took a huge bite. Zelda wrinkled her nose. "Eew! Rogue, I licked that!"

"So?" I asked, taking another large bite. "I kiss you all the time. What's the difference."

Zelda pouted. "It's... Dammit, you're right."

"You can have a bite if you want," I offered.

She sighed long and loud. "Give it to me." She split it in half and handed me the smaller one.

"Hey!" I protested as she stuck the whole thing in her mouth. "I said a _bite_!"

"And that was your mistake," she said with a smirk, turning to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. We were in my room back at Sabertooth. It was May, five months after Zelda and Ella arrived here. When we left at the end of February, they had decided to come with us. Jellal was still working on finding a way to send them home, but after all this time, it was starting to seem like a lost cause. Zelda and Ella were official members of Sabertooth, and had joined up a few days after arriving.

Ella and Sting were currently out on a job, and Zelda and I were taking a free day because we had so much money. While Ella and Sting had barely been able to go on any jobs what with Sting being the master and all, Zelda and I had taken our fill, and had enough Jewels to last us for a year. So we had slept in, met in my room at ten, and had a chess marathon, which Zelda won. Before we'd left Fairy Tail, she'd played a game with Makarov, and I had a feeling he'd given her more than a few tips and pointers.

Now we were eating an early lunch consisting of whatever we found in the kitchen.

Zelda flopped down on the couch with a sigh, her legs hanging over the armrest, and picked up an issue of Sorcerer Weekly. She groaned when she saw the cover, immediately dropping the magazine, saying, "Why do you even have this?" in disgust, and picking up another issue. A few weeks after the girls joined Sabertooth, Sorcerer Weekly had coerced them into a photo spread and interview, and now whenever they went out, everyone wanted autographs and pictures. The girls found it less than pleasant, to say the least.

I laughed and sat down next to her, picking up the issue and pointing at the cover. "Come on, I _love_ this picture of you." Zelda was leaning back to back with Ella, both girls smiling and wearing the skimpy midriff shirts and short skirts Sorcerer Weekly had given them, hands on their hips. Zelda shook her head. " _No_. the stuff they made us wear-" She shuddered. " _So_ embarrassing."

"So _hot_ ," I corrected, nudging her side with my foot.

"Rogue, I _will_ skin you."

I chuckled and pulled up my legs, sitting cross-legged and skimming through the magazine.

"What should we do today?" Zelda asked after a while, tossing her magazine aside and falling back to rest her head in my lap. I shrugged, setting down my own magazine and running my fingers through her hair lazily. "Dunno. What do you want to do?"

She thought about it for a while before answering, "Let's go to the beach. We can ask Ella and Sting to go with us when they get back."

"Okay," I agreed, smiling down at her. "What should we do until then?"

"Nap," she said, yawning and closing her eyes. I rolled my eyes. "You slept in today. How are you _still_ tired?"

She shrugged. "I ask myself that every day, Rogue."

"Come on," I said, flicking her forehead lightly to get her to open her eyes. "Let's go down to the square and shop."

She sighed. "Ooookkkkaaaayyyyy."

She straightened and stretched, her neck cracking. I stood and tugged her to her feet and we started towards the door. Halfway down the hall Zelda leaped onto my back. "Piggy-back ride," she ordered, and I laughed and scooped up her legs, walking the rest of the way out of the guild. Rufus laughed and pointed at me. "Reduced to a pack-horse, Rogue?" Minerva asked lazily from the corner, where she was drinking a lemonade. I smiled and rolled my eyes. "You know it!" Zelda yelled for me. Minerva smirked and gave her a thumbs up.

Minerva had taken an immediate liking to the girls, and the three were now practically inseparable. Which made it interesting for the rest of the guild, of course... The girls had already pranked almost everyone, including me and Sting, and the terrifying thing was that no one ever saw it coming.

"What do you need?" I asked Zelda, eyeing the shops lining the square.

"A swimsuit."

"Oh. Duh. I can't believe you didn't buy a swimsuit yet..."

"Hey, I didn't think of it in _March_ ," she protested, smacking me lightly on the head. "And I need to get Ella one too, just in case."

"Okay," I said, turning left to head for the nearest clothing store. On the way there, many people waved at us, and as soon as I set Zelda down outside the shop, all the kids nearby ran to hug her legs. She patted them each on the head and smiled, listening to what they told her and laughing or smiling. She was a natural with kids, and they all seemed to fall in love with her as soon as they saw her.

I smiled when the kids were gone, and Zelda and I walked into the shop. We headed for the swimsuit section, and Zelda ordered me to pick one out for her while she got one for Ella. When Zelda turned to me, I held up a white bikini patterned with cherries. "I hate you."

"I know," I said with a grin.

* * *

 **31**

 **Ella Greene**

* * *

"Sting, GET ME DOWN **_NOW_**!"

"Why?" he asked, smirking and crossing him arms. "You look so good upside down."

"I WILL _MURDER YOU_ STING EUCLIFFE!" I yelled, struggling to hold my skirt down with my one free hand. Sting chuckled and waved a hand lazily. "Calm down, blondie. Give me a sec." He rubbed his hands together and faced the monster that was currently holding me upside down ten feet in the air. "White Dragon's Roar!" The monster dissipated in a flash of bright light and I screeched as I tumbled towards the ground. Sting caught me right on time, smirking, and I immediately slapped him on the chest.

"Damn you," I said, getting down with a fierce blush across my cheeks, brushing off my skirt.

"Hey, don't 'Damn you' me," Sting said, leaning forward so we were eye to eye. "I just saved your butt, blondie. And it's _your_ fault for wearing a skirt on a job, anyway."

"Hey," I protested, blushing in embarrassment. "I figured if Lucy can fight in a skirt, so can I!"

Sting rolled his eyes. "Whatever that Mashima guy had the girls fight in is his business, but skirts? _Really_?"

I sighed. "I see your point," I grumbled, brushing myself off one last time. "I'll wear shorts from now on."

Sting smirked, slapping my butt as he walked past me. "Hey, I didn't say I didn't like it."

"S-Sting!" I yelled after him, blushing furiously as I scurried after him. "Don't do that!"

He smirked and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "I can't promise anything, blondie."

"You're blond too," I protested, puffing out my cheeks in annoyance.

"Come on," Sting said, ushering me back towards the town. "Let's get back already. I need this reward money."

We collected the reward and I had to drag Sting on the train to get back to Sabertooth. His head crashed in my lap almost immediately, and I smirked and stroked his hair, satisfied with this small revenge. When we arrived back in town we made our way towards Sabertooth, waving at the people on the streets.

As soon as we walked in the door we saw Zelda chasing around a snickering Lector, who was flying around holding a large white bag. "YOU THIEVING CAT! I'LL SKIN YOU WHEN I CATCH YOU!"

Sting easily reached up and grabbed Lector's tail, tugging him down, grabbing the bag, and handing it to Zelda. "Thanks," she said, shooting a glare at Lector. She turned to me. "I was wondering if you two wanted to go to the beach?"

I shared a look with Sting, shrugging. "Yeah. I think we're free. Sting?"

"Yeah. When?"

"Right now," Zelda said with finality, waving the bag with a smile. "I bought us swimsuits!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, okay. I guess that's fine. Should we change now?"

"Yeah, come on," she said, taking me by the arm and tugging me towards the stairs. I told the boys we'd meet them back there and let Zelda drag me to our room. She started unpacking the white bag, handing me a swimsuit over one shoulder. It was a plain blue ruffled bikini. I smiled. "Perfect. You know me so well."

"Obviously," she said, taking out another swimsuit. "We're best friends after all.

"Woah, woah, woah, _woah_ ," I said, holding up a hand. "What is _that_?"

Zelda sighed. "I made the mistake of letting Rogue pick out my swimsuit. This is what I get." She held up the lacy, frilly pink thing and wrinkled her nose. It wasn't that skimpy, but Zelda didn't take to girly things, so it was horrible to her. "I think it's cute," I said with a smile, padding over to the bathroom. Zelda stuck her tongue out at me and I shut the door with a laugh. When I was done changing, Zelda and I pulled on cover-ups and headed back downstairs to meet the boys.

They were wearing swim-trunks, Sting in a white shirt and Rogue in a black one. "It's about time," Sting said, irritated. "Girls take so long to change."

"Shut up," I said, punching him in the arm. "Let's go."

We walked out the door and towards the beach that bordered the town, the sun shining brightly and the sky a clear blue. We were setting up our stuff when someone ran up to us. I didn't recognize them at first, until I fully looked at them. It was Erza.

"You guys need to come with me. Now."

* * *

 **32**

 **Sting Eucliffe**

* * *

"What is this about?" Zelda asked as Erza hurried us towards the train station.

"Jellal thinks he found a way to get you home," Erza said, rushing us on to the train.

Zelda and Ella shared a look. "Are you serious?"

Erza nodded as we sat down, and she seemed excited. "Yes. But there's something else. I'll let Jellal explain it all when we get there."

The train ride was spent in tense silence, and by the time we got to Magnolia, the girls practically sprinted off the train and towards Fairy Tail. When we arrived, Jellal, Lucy, Levy, and Freed were gathered around a table, where a book was resting.

Their eyes turned to us, and brief greetings were exchanged before we joined their circle and looked down at the book. "This is an old book I recently discovered traveling and looking into Trans-Dimensional Magic. It was in a strange language, but Levy was able to translate it, and... well, see for yourself."

The four of us peered down at the sheet of paper sitting next to the book, which had translated phrases written on it. My eyes scanned the paper. _Trans-Dimensional portals called Animas started appearing_... I skipped the line and looked at the next one. _While most Animas are risky and unstable, there are a select few who are able to be accessed multiple or even infinite times. These Animas have certain keys that activate them, be it an object or a saying._ I skipped the rest and moved on. _I've started searching for these Animas, and have come across only two so far. I kept their keys hidden in this book with a special incantation, which is included_... I skimmed a few paragraphs. _I've only recently started thinking of traveling through one of the Animas to check it's reliability, and I've finally done it. I traveled through one portal and came upon a strange world._ I skimmed through the rest, and stopped on the last paragraph translated. _The people were dressed strangely, and the technology was more advance than anything I've ever seen. Magic doesn't exist there, but I've gathered that people born in Earthland or other worlds with Magic somehow maintain their power. I have a theory that the Anima is sucking Ethernanos into that other world, and I fear how their bodies will react to the foreign element._

I looked up at Jellal, and beside me Zelda said, "This means... We can get home?"

Jellal nodded, holding up a slim silver key on a chain. Ella stiffened. "Hey... I have one that looks just like that."

I raised an eyebrow as she pulled aside the collar of her shirt and tugged a chain through, showing a silver key identical to the one Jellal held. "You never mentioned that," I said. Ella shrugged. "I guess I'm just so used to it after all this time. Dad gave it to me on my eighth birthday."

"I suspected that you had a key," Jellal said, setting down the one he held. "There must be one key in each dimension for the Anima to work, as written in the book. Although, I don't know why yours would suddenly activate..."

Zelda shrugged. "But this is good, right? We can get home now..." She trailed off and glanced at Rogue.

Jellal nodded. "I had Levy only write down a few of the translated phrases, but the rest of the book states that the key will glow in one dimension when its twin is activated. If you have the key from the other dimension on you when you go through the portal, the key basically cloaks itself so it doesn't disappear traveling dimensions. It's amazing Magic."

"Well, when should we leave?" Zelda asked no one in particular, shooting the question out into thin air.

"Whenever you want," Lucy said, smiling.

Zelda and Ella shared a look, biting their lips, and, seeming to understand, Levy said, "Why don't you stay here for the night, and we can talk more in the morning."

"Thanks," Ella said, relieved. "We appreciate it."

Lucy nodded and led them off, and Rogue and I followed. I still couldn't believe that after all this time, they'd finally found a way to get back to their own world... Of course, I didn't _want_ them to go, but I thought about what it would feel like if I was torn away from my friends, family, and home for months. It would feel awful. But... I shook my head and tugged a hand through my hair.

"You can probably rent a couple rooms therefor cheap," Lucy suggested, pointing across the street at a small inn. We thanked her and headed over. The rooms weren't very expensive, so we booked two for the night. After everything was settled, the girls walked over to our room.

For a while we all just stood and stared around at each other, swimming in a deep silence. "We need to talk about this," Ella finally said, taking a deep breath.

"Talk about what?" I asked, turning away and walking over to the window, struggling to stay calm. "You heard what they said."

"But I don't _want_ to go!" Ella exclaimed, startling me. I turned to see her eyes tearing up. Zelda looked much the same, and she held her friend's hand tightly. "I don't either," she said, sniffling. "But..."

* * *

 **33**

 **Zelda D'Angelo**

* * *

"But?" Rogue prompted, and I sniffled again.

"I know we have to go home. We don't belong here."

Ella wiped her eyes, looking down. "She's right..."

"Then we'll come with you," the boys said unanimously.

Ella started to cry harder, and I tried to stay calm for both of us. "We can't do that to you," I said quietly. "Make you leave all your friends and family? What about Orga, Rufus, and Minerva? What about Frosch, Lector, Natsu, and everyone else? We can't make you leave them."

Sting shook his head. "But you have to leave them, too. And you heard what they said, didn't you?"

"W-what?" Ella stuttered, wiping her nose.

"Jellal said that the Animas are accessible all the time. Doesn't that mean we can travel back and forth whenever we want?"

My eyes widened. "Y-you're right. I didn't think of that."

Ella turned to me, grinning. "I didn't either, but you realize what this means?"

"We can come here whenever we want!" I hugged her tightly, fresh tears springing to my eyes.

"You guys really can be dense sometimes," Sting said, rolling his eyes. Ella smiled slightly and sniffed, wiping her eyes again.

"I'm gonna head back to our room," I said, wanting to give them some time alone. "I'll come with you," Rogue said, seeming to think the same. We left Sting and Ella and walked across the hall to my room. I walked over to the window and opened it, watching the sun set in the distance. Rogue leaned on the sill beside me and gazed out at the town.

"Are you sure you want to come with me?" I whispered, glancing over at him.

Rogue smiled and moved closer, wrapping an arm around me. "I've never been so sure of anything. Don't worry."

"But what about Frosch?" I asked, still not believing him.

"He can come," Rogue said, resting his forehead against mine. "Stop worrying. Everything's going to be okay."

I smiled, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes, but for an entirely different reason this time. Rogue brushed them away and hugged me to him, and I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed tightly, reassuring myself that he was actually there.

"You know, our first kiss was standing at a window like this," Rogue said, pulling away to look back out at the setting sun. "Remember?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah." I looked out at the sun with him, feeling nostalgic.

"I'm gonna miss this," I said, sighing.

"What?" Rogue asked, turning to face me.

" _Everything_. The clean air, Fairy Tail, Sabertooth, this town, this _world_. I'm going to miss it all."

Rogue smiled. "Well, we can always come back, right?"

I grinned. Rogue pulled me forward, and I reached up on my tiptoes to kiss him. "Right," I said, looking out at the now dark sky, the stars just beginning to shine. Yes, I would miss Earthland. But it and the people who inhabited it would never be far away.


	10. Home

**34**

 **Ella Greene**

* * *

"Are you ready?" Levy asked, smiling at us.

Zelda took a deep breath, a nervous smile on her face. "Yeah. Although, it will be hard to explain "It's going to be a bit hard to explain the two strange boys, the talking cats, and where we've been for all this time," I said, sharing a look with Zelda. "But hey; there's a first time for everything."

"Well, if you're ready to go," Jellal said, "I can open the portal any time."

"Sure," I said. "Just let us say goodbye first."

Jellal nodded, and Zelda and I started going about hugging everyone. Levy teared up and gave us both a book, hugging us tightly, Lucy told us to come back soon, Wendy asked us to look after Rogue and Sting and keep them healthy and out of trouble, and Makarov cried and told us to visit as soon as possible. It was all very emotional for everyone.

The last ones to say goodbye to were Minerva, Orga, and Rufus, who had come over to Magnolia via train along with Frosch and Lector. Minerva hugged Zelda and me and told us to prank Sting and Rogue at least twice a month to keep them on their toes, Orga ruffled our hair and told us to stay out of trouble, and Rufus hugged us and told us that we'd remain in his memory until we returned.

Turning to Jellal, we nodded our consent, and Sting, Rogue, Zelda, Frosch, Lector, Jellal, and I all walked out into the field behind Fairy Tail to summon the Anima. A cool breeze blew through the field, sweeping our hair away from our faces as Jellal raised his key. Immediately, a spinning dark portal began to form in the sky, and the wind grew harsher, tugging at our clothes now.

"Take out your key!" Jellal yelled to me. "All of you need to be holding it when the Anima is fully formed!"

I nodded and took out the key, and we all grabbed a fraction of the chain it was attached to. Before long, the Anima was swirling, fully formed, in the sky. Zelda, Rogue, Sting, and I were all surrounded by a golden light, and lifted off our feet. Fairy Tail swarmed from the guild and waved and shouted at us as we were drawn up into the portal, and at last sucked through the portal with a blinding flash of white light.

* * *

We crashed loudly on the floor of Zelda's room, landing in a painful pile of tangled limbs. "Owww," I moaned, attempting to disentangle one leg from the crook of Sting's arm and pull out the other from under Zelda at the same time. Just as we were standing up, Zelda's parents burst into the room. For several long seconds we all just stared at each other.

With a cry of relief, Zelda's parents rushed forwards and strangled us both in a tight hug while Rogue and Sting looked on with smiles, their Exceeds perched on their shoulders. Finally, they pulled away from us, and Zelda's mother cupped her face. "Finally, you're home. We thought we'd never see you again..."

Zelda smiled. "Well, about that... We _really_ have a lot to tell you guys."

* * *

Zelda's parents were disbelieving at first, which was to be expected, of course. But all we had to do to prove it to them was show them a bit of our magic. And the fact that Rogue and Sting had cats that could talk helped quite a bit, too.

The surprising thing was, they seemed totally fine with everything, including the boys and powers we'd brought back with us. They did insist on calling my mom, however, and she was over in minutes, my older brother Ethan trailing along beside her. They both hugged me, and I teased Ethan when he let a few tears slip.

The whole thing was very emotional, although Ethan was immediately distrustful of Sting and Rogue, standing beside me and staring at them with his arms crossed. I made arrangements to stay over at Zel's that night to figure everything out, and my mom agreed, and went back home to get some stuff together, since she would be staying with us. Zel's parents with with her to help, leaving Ethan, Rogue, Sting, Zelda, and I alone.

"So..." I said, clasping her hands together and rocking back on my heels. "Ethan, how much school work did we miss?"

Ethan snorted. "You're worried about _school work_? School's almost _over_ , little sis. There's only a few weeks left."

I sighed. "We probably flunked all our classes. Ugh..."

"But I don't want to repeat a grade!" Zelda wailed, looking terrified.

"Relax," Ethan said, waving a hand dismissively. "All the teachers do know you've been, ahem, _missing_ for five months. I'm sure they have something planned."

Zelda let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank God."

"But still," Ethan said, narrowing his eyes at us. "Where did you go?"

Zelda and I shared a look, and proceeded to tell him the same story we'd told Zelda's parents. He looked disbelieving, but when I formed a green ball of light in my hand, he seemed pretty convinced. He still looked at Sting and Rogue with distrust though. But he did seem to be thinking about something, because his brow was furrowed, and he was staring straight at them.

"Oi," Sting said, irritated. "Cut that out."

Ethan slammed a fist into his palm, scaring me. " _That's_ where I've seen you! Hey, Ella, aren't these guys from those books you guys read all the time?"

"Uh... Yeah..." Zelda said uncomfortably. "It's a _long_ story."

* * *

 **35**

 **Sting Eucliffe**

* * *

Zelda's parents put Rogue and I in their guest room on the second floor, which was across the hall from Zelda's room, where the girls would be sleeping. It was only four o'clock, though, so we were forced to go back downstairs and were greeted with a flood of questions.

Zelda and Ella did the best they could to answer them all, and by the time her parents were satisfied, it was getting late already. We were given dinner and sent straight upstairs afterwards. Zelda's parents peeked in on us at about nine, and I pretended to be asleep. They left after a minute, and the lights were all flipped off. After another ten minutes of silence, I peeled back my covers and crept out of the room, looking around warily as I went towards Zelda's room. I slipped in silently, and used the light of the moon to find where Ella was sleeping on the other side of Zelda.

I shook her shoulder gently, and she opened her eyes and looked at me sleepily. I held a finger to my lips and beckoned for her to follow me, and she slipped out of bed quietly and followed me out into the hall, down the stairs, and out into the night.

Zelda lived on a quiet street with not many neighbors, and the woods met the back of her house about a foot out. I led Ella out a few feet and we stopped by a large tree. "Looks like everything worked out, huh?" I whispere, smirking.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Ella whispered back, leaning her back against the trunk of the tree.

I rested my hands on her shoulders and she smiled at me. "Earth is going to take some getting used to, huh?"

I shrugged. "As long as you're here to guide me along, I think I'll be fine."

* * *

The next few days were spent with the girls trying to recuperate after coming back home, and they were filled with even more questions and long explanations. Their families were surprisingly accepting, though. They even arranged for us to stay with them for a while, until we got used to this world. It was a major surprise, albeit a relief.

But after a week had passed, it was decided that they were to go back to school, but... we had to go too.

"No way in hell," I told Ella, crossing my arms over my chest as she pulled on her shoes.

"C'mon, Sting, my parents were nice enough to enroll you, so you have to go."

I shook my head adamantly. "Nope. No. Never in a million years."

Ella rolled her eyes. "Stop complaining and put on your shoes."

"But..." I held up one of the "sneakers" her parents had gotten me and wrinkled my nose in distaste. "They look so... _uncomfortable_."

"No buts," Ella said, pushing me down into a chair. "Put the shoes on. Now."

I huffed in annoyance and slid the shoe on my foot reluctantly. "Fine. But I better not regret this..."

* * *

"Everyone's going to stare," Ella warned me. We were standing in the hallway, about to push through a set of doors and out where everyone could see us.

I smirked, wrapping an arm around her. "Let them stare. I'm marking my property."

Ella blushed and slapped my chest before taking a deep breath and pushing open the door. Rogue with his arm around Zelda, mirroring Ella and I, took the first step forward, and we walked forwards, perfectly in step with each other.

Heads turned; guys ogled Zelda and Ella; girls ogled Rogue and I; and _everyone's_ jaws dropped.

I turned to a tall, well-built guy, who was quite obviously eyeing Ella up, and mouthed, _Mine_. Ella blushed asthe girld stopped by these metal boxes built into the wall. They messed around with these twisty things, and Rogue and I couldn't help but drop the cool act to watch in wonder. Zelda chuckled at my undoubtedly childlike expression as I moved the door back and forth.

"How does it work?" I asked, eyes wide.

Ella giggled. "Mechanisms, Sting; mechanisms."

* * *

 **36**

 **Rogue Cheney**

* * *

"School" was boring, I found. Incredibly boring. The whole thing was entirely useless, I thought. They didn't teach you anything that was actually _useful_. By lunch I was ready to quit school. I met Zelda in the hall and we found Sting and Ella on the way. Sting looked as done as I was, and was muttering to himself irritably.

The girls seemed to find our dis-enthrallment hilarious, however.

"I wonder what you guys would've been like if you had gone to school from an early age," Ella pondered, making Zelda snort at the thought.

"Undoubtedly more annoying."

"Hey!" Sting protested, flicking Ella on the nose.

"Ow! You jerk," she rubbed her nose and glared at him.

"Ella! Zelda!"

The four of us turned to see three girls walking towards our table. Ella and Zelda immediately stiffened. "Oh my God, why are they coming over? They hate us. _We_ hate _them_! Oh, God, here they come." This conversation was hosted in a few seconds, and then the girls slid in at our table, one on either side of Sting and I and the other next to Zelda.

"Hey Sydney," Ella said uncomfortably, addressing the blonde girl that sat next to Sting.

"You guys were gone a _long_ time," the girl - Sydney - said, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. "So where were you, huh?"

"Uh..." Zelda said, sharing a nervous look with Ella. "We, uh- That is, we- Er..."

"They ran away," Sting broke in nonchalantly, taking a bite of the pizza he held.

"Oh, really?" Sydney asked, sounding curious. "I didn't peg _you two_ as the rebellious types."

"Yeah," Ella said with a sigh, "you have _no_ idea."

"So you guys know these two?" Sydney indicated Rogue and I with a jerk of her head.

"Uh, yes...?"

"That's what I thought. Well, everyone _was_ talking about how you four made that great dramatic entrance this morning."

Ella visibly sagged. "Are they?"

Sydney nodded. "Oh, yeah. Thomas said-"

After that I tuned out of the conversation, turning my attention to the window. These girls were nothing like Zelda and Ella... _Proves just how much I know about Earth, I guess._

* * *

The next night was a cool one, and I found myself looking out the window at the moon, wondering what my friends back in Earthland were doing. Frosch was asleep on my chest, and mumbled a bit in his sleep.

Earlier, Zelda's parents had told her that everyone would be going to their family's lake house that weekend as a celebration of their homecoming, and we were welcome to come along. Fro was excited, as were Sting and Lector, and I suppose I was, as well. I had never been one for swimming, though, and usually only did it in a pool, considering I disliked the cold, and lakes and the ocean were typically freezing.

But Zelda looked really happy about it, so I figured I'd give it a try. Not to mention Frosch would be disappointed if we didn't go along.

I sighed and turned over, closing my eyes. I'd have time to think later. Right then I really just wanted to sleep.

* * *

 **37**

 **Zelda D'Angelo**

* * *

I stretched out my feet, staring out at the water. Rogue stretched out his legs beside mine, scooping my foot up so it rested on top of his. He wiggled his toes against mine to make me laugh, and I rested my head on his shoulder. His arm encircled me, holding me tight against his chest.

"Do you miss Earthland?" I asked him quietly.

"Sometimes," Rogue replied, gazing out at the lake thoughtfully. "But I have something here that I never had there."

"Oh?" I asked, smiling faintly. "What's that?"

"You. Well, you and Pepsi. That stuff is almost _better_ than magic."

"You're such a nerd," I said, laughing and snuggling deeper into the crook of his arm.

"Yes, but I'm _your_ nerd."

We were at my family's lake house for the weekend, enjoying some much-needed relaxation time. Rogue and Sting had been introduced to the wonders of soda for the first time, and were absolutely mystified. My mom thought it was adorable when they asked how the bubbles were put in, and I had to readily agree. I was still trying to get used to the fact that neither of them had ever seen a phone, or a plane, or a Starbucks, but I was starting to learn, and becoming quite a good teacher.

"Hey, wanna go inside?" I asked, yawning. "It's getting dark."

"I do not fear the night," Rogue replied, making a stern face. "I _am_ the night."

I burst into laughter. "My dad really shouldn't have let us watch Batman."

Rogue shrugged. "I thought it was an amazing story. I still can't figure out how they put the moving pictures in the glass box thing, though."

I giggled. "Come on. Let's go watch Netflix."

"What is a... net-flicks?" Rogue asked, confused.

I rolled my eyes and stood, holding out a hand to help him up. "Come on. I'll show you." We went inside, the moonlight catching on the surface of the lake and reflecting white onto the porch.

* * *

 **About a month later...**

* * *

The line for the manga signing was extremely long, and by the time Sting, Ella, Rogue, and I got to the table, Hiro Mashima looked tired and bored, resting his chin in his hand.

"Who should I make it out to?" he asked in a monotone.

I leaned forward, sharing a look with my three companions. "Actually, Mr. Mashima, we have _quite_ a few things to talk about."

* * *

 **A/N:** And boom. That's it. I've completed my first story. I might cry. Dash that, I am crying. I feel so accomplished. :'D But guys, in all seriousness, there will be a followup story to this, called Real World Fairies: After Story, so look forward to that :D


End file.
